Waverly Place,(with parking!) courtesy of www.rosenet.org.
The idea that there's a parking problem in Madison has persisted for years. There have been many studies -- none conclusive -- and just as many plans to alleviate the 'menace.' I've always been curious; just what constitutes 'a problem"?
Let's quick-cut to some real, bonafide parking problems. New York City has a parking problem. Point Pleasant Beach has a parking problem. In both of those places, one could drive around for an hour and not find a space within a quarter mile of one's destination.
Using these venues as a litmus test, Madison's 'problem' is piddly. I, for example, have lived here for more than 40 years, and have frequented the downtown area at least once or twice a week. I have NEVER searched for a spot for longer than 5 minutes, and the farthest I've ever parked from my destination has been a block and a half.
The problem here seems to me to be driven by local merchants (for whom no amount of parking would be enough), our own automobile excess (four locals decide to meet for lunch and they ALL drive downtown) and laziness (if there's not a spot in front of the store one plans to visit, THAT'S a problem.)
A town center can be for people or for cars. Let's keep Madison for people... please?
If Ptolemy says the Sun revolves around the Earth, if the Pope says the Sun revolves around the Earth, then, duh, they're both wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe do, however, need an equation to accurately define a parking problem. Not being an equationist, I rely on my pocket-protector pals to create one. The components, I think, would be: time spent finding the space, and the resulting distance from a primary goal. A 'zero' answer would mean an instant parking place right in front of a goal. Where would the problem begin? I'm breathlessly awaiting...
Your Ptolemaic analogy is as laughable as it is weak.
ReplyDelete..and with that last feeble flurry, I retire from this thread, joining Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano as undefeated champions.
ReplyDelete