In Search of a City: But Not a Parking Space
On May 7, Alive published a terrific section entitled, “What Columbus Needs.” A response to the question, “What’s the one thing that should be done to improve the city’s future?” caught my attention. It read, “Parking in the Short North - lack of it sometimes causes me to go elsewhere.”
I have news for this commentator. The Short North will never solve its parking problem.
That’s not to say the neighborhood won’t add some parking spaces. The Ibiza project includes public parking. On-street parking policies will probably change to increase availability. A few hundred additional parking spaces, however, will quickly fill, and the Alive commentator will continue a frustrating search for parking in a neighborhood that generally refuses to accommodate cars. That’s OK.
People visit the Short North precisely because of its density. An attempt to accommodate demand for parking would diminish this essential quality. The built environment in the Short North is designed for walking, transit, bicycles and taxicabs. Perhaps it is time to begin using them.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Amen!
May 26th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Once again, we have to remind people that we need to use the transit we have and to advocate for improved transit.