HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Alberta & British Columbia > Calgary > Calgary Issues, Business, Politics & the Economy


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 2:09 PM
freeweed's Avatar
freeweed freeweed is offline
Home of Hyperchange
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Dynamic City, Alberta
Posts: 17,566
Calgary downtown parking tops in nation

Calgary parking rates most expensive in nation
Sarah McGinnis, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, July 27, 2007

A two-metre slab of concrete bordered by two yellow painted lines has become some of the most valuable real estate in Calgary, as city drivers are shelling out the most money in the country for parking.

Colliers International declared Calgary the most expensive parking district in Canada as part of its seventh annual North America parking rate survey.

The steep costs are forcing some motorists to venture into rougher areas.

Every day, Hedi Clarkin parks in the East Village for $7 and walks about 10 blocks to her office in the Petro-Canada building. She'd love to leave her car closer to work, but can't afford rates that are higher than $20 a day.

"Nobody wants to walk in an area that's a little unsafe, but I'm willing to do that because it's the only way parking is affordable," Clarkin said.


While the Calgary Parking Authority says higher prices reflect Calgary's rapid population and economic growth, many drivers argue it's another example of how this city is becoming unaffordable.

"I think it's bad news," said Ward 8 Ald. Madeleine King. "These high parking rates are making Calgarians worried that they're making it not only less livable, but (worse) as a business sector because it's pushing costs up."

Motorists are spending an average of $350 per month to secure an unreserved parking spot in a Calgary lot, the report said.

A similar monthly stall costs an average of $48.15 less in Toronto, $87.91 less in Montreal, $140.95 less in Vancouver and a whopping $190 less per month in Edmonton, said the 2007 report released this week.

Calgary drivers are paying even more of a premium to secure reserved parking. The average reserved stall here is the priciest in the country at $475 per month -- $53.20 per month more than a similar reserved spot in Toronto.

Even daily parking fees are at record levels, with Calgary and Toronto sharing the dubious distinction of having the highest rates.

It costs about $20 per day to secure parking for the day in both cities.

Adam Abdalla doesn't even contemplate parking downtown because he can't pay the rates. It's not right that a city of one million people is charging more than bigger cities, he said.

"With the boom, it seems like everybody is trying to skim some of the cream," Abdalla said.

"I don't think anyone is particularly surprised by the survey," said Calgary Downtown Association spokeswoman Maggie Schofield.

Parking is the No. 1 issue for the downtown business community. While businesses are most concerned about the availability and pricing of hourly parking, access to daily stalls for their staff is also critical, she said.

Paid parking has even become a recruiting tool for many companies hoping to lure new employees, she said.

Lorne Resnechenko has watched underground monthly parking rates at his downtown office soar from $250 two years ago to more than $400 today. His company covers his reserved spot, but Resnechenko said it's hard for many other workers to continue donating such a large portion of their paycheques to parking.

==========================================================

T
R
A
N
S
I
T


Yeesh.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 2:20 PM
The Kid's Avatar
The Kid The Kid is offline
Kid Dynamic!
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 546
Ya, I parked downtown for I swear just under two hours yesterday and was presented with a $17.00 tab. Someones getting rich!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 2:58 PM
The Geographer The Geographer is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 310
Ya, I was surprised when I read that (and saw it on a Global clip). It is fine to present peoples' concerns about parking, but to not even mention transit as a substitute - or moving to the Beltline as a long-term solution - is just bad reporting. The best they could seem to get was an interview with some woman in an SUV who thought the city was just trying to gouge her.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 3:13 PM
mersar's Avatar
mersar mersar is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 10,083
Well Alderman Burrows was blasting the city over the lack of parking AND a lack of transit as a suitable alternative according to the news I heard on the radio on my way in this morning. He also tried distancing himself from the issue, citing a 'past council before his time' was at fault for all the problems. And of course made no mention about trying to push for a solution involving improving transit.
__________________

Live or work in the Beltline? Check out the Official Beltline web site here
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 5:43 PM
93JC 93JC is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 932
Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed View Post
T
R
A
N
S
I
T


Yeesh.
If I lived way out in some suburb I wouldn't take transit...
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 5:59 PM
freeweed's Avatar
freeweed freeweed is offline
Home of Hyperchange
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Dynamic City, Alberta
Posts: 17,566
Quote:
Originally Posted by 93JC View Post
If I lived way out in some suburb I wouldn't take transit...


Is saving a few minutes worth $20/day? Depends on what's more important to you, I guess. Also depends on how well-serviced your area is by transit. For me, it's about a 10 minute difference - assuming the roads aren't backed up due to an accident or weather conditions (so most days driving is admittedly quicker).

Never mind the fact that unless you already have a reserved parking spot (and waiting lists are now years long for these), you have to get to downtown before around 7am to get a spot. Unless you want to walk 10-20 blocks to the office. Which can entirely negate the time savings from driving.

So for those folks that like leaving the house by 6:30, and have several hundred a month extra to blow, driving makes sense. Wish I had that kind of money to waste though. the difference between a monthly transit pass and a parking spot is pretty much the cost of my car payment alone.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 6:39 PM
Boris2k7's Avatar
Boris2k7 Boris2k7 is offline
Majestic
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Calgary
Posts: 12,010
Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed View Post
Every day, Hedi Clarkin parks in the East Village for $7 and walks about 10 blocks to her office in the Petro-Canada building. She'd love to leave her car closer to work, but can't afford rates that are higher than $20 a day.

"Nobody wants to walk in an area that's a little unsafe, but I'm willing to do that because it's the only way parking is affordable," Clarkin said.
Aha, we can kill two birds with one stone! Potentially 3? Or more? As we raise parking rates, the amount of foot traffic will make the East Village more desirable as well as development. Perception of... uh... unsafety, will also decrease, benefiting downtown as a whole.

At the same time, some people will give up driving and take transit, while those who walk will be able to cut back on their fat... hopefully enough that they will be able to fit in the door of a smaller vehicle, and cut the rates of heart disease and other obesity-related illnesses.

The amount of smaller vehicles will free up space, which we can convert to short-stay or bike parking. It would also have the effect of cutting down on emissions, making the air more breathable for pedestrians.

The increase in transit usage will push new lines and a multi-billion dollar, tri-level investment (that is, fed., prov. muni.) in urban transit. The new lines will reach across the city and open up more land for dense development and potentially multiple downtown nodes in the Central Industrial and Chinook Areas. TOD's will flourish and suburbs become less sprawly as they are more transit oriented.

As Calgary slows it's outward growth, a large percentage of the budget that used to go to road funding will be able to be redirected to the municipal debt. Once that is paid off, the city will have millions more per year for transit funding and affordable housing.

Once the transit and housing infrastructure is beefed up, the city will become even more attractive and livable, attracting residents and businesses from abroad. There will be larger strains on the other prairie provinces and more international migration.

And then we will surpass Toronto...

All thanks to higher parking rates.

Yes, I kid. A little.
__________________
"The only thing that gets me through our winters is the knowledge that they're the only thing keeping us free of giant ass spiders." -MonkeyRonin

Flickr
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #8  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 6:46 PM
KrisYYC's Avatar
KrisYYC KrisYYC is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 786
Entitlement mentality at its best. "I can't afford one of the good spots, so I have to park further away, no fair!!" These people think they're entitled to cheap parking? C'mon, whatever happened to supply and demand? Calgary has a good alternative (LRT), These people should be thanking the city for catering the LRT lines for people working downtown!

So it's no longer affordable for these suburban slobs to park their SUV's down town and now the poor souls are either forced to walk farther, or take the LRT. Boo f@cking hoo.

Kris
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #9  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 6:53 PM
h0twired's Avatar
h0twired h0twired is offline
Dynamic Positivity!
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 2,914
Quote:
Originally Posted by 93JC View Post
If I lived way out in some suburb I wouldn't take transit...
Transit out in the suburbs (especially if you have an express bus) is really not much slower than driving.

I prefer transit over driving in the winter because you don't have to worry about lousy drivers.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #10  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 6:56 PM
Wooster's Avatar
Wooster Wooster is offline
Round Head
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,688
The tradeoff of restricting quantity of parking must be supplementing it with the best transit system possible. The City must live up to that promise. Does anyone else see the connection of having parking help pay for transit expansion? We are trying to replace an undesirable condition (single occupant commuting) to mass transit. Shouldn't a share of the undesirable condition and a punitive tax pay for the more desirable alternative? Instead Calgary Parking authority money just flows into general revenue, which flows much more quickly into roads.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #11  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 6:59 PM
KrisYYC's Avatar
KrisYYC KrisYYC is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 786
Quote:
Originally Posted by josh white View Post
The tradeoff of restricting quantity of parking must be supplementing it with the best transit system possible. The City must live up to that promise. Does anyone else see the connection of having parking help pay for transit expansion? We are trying to replace an undesirable condition (single occupant commuting) to mass transit. Shouldn't a share of the undesirable condition and a punitive tax pay for the more desirable alternative?
Great point. Is there any movement at all in city council to have this implemented in some way?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #12  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:00 PM
Wooster's Avatar
Wooster Wooster is offline
Round Head
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,688
Of course not. That would make too much sense.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #13  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:06 PM
The Kid's Avatar
The Kid The Kid is offline
Kid Dynamic!
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 546
Quote:
Originally Posted by KrisYYC View Post
Entitlement mentality at its best. "I can't afford one of the good spots, so I have to park further away, no fair!!" These people think they're entitled to cheap parking? C'mon, whatever happened to supply and demand? Calgary has a good alternative (LRT), These people should be thanking the city for catering the LRT lines for people working downtown!

So it's no longer affordable for these suburban slobs to park their SUV's down town and now the poor souls are either forced to walk farther, or take the LRT. Boo f@cking hoo.

Kris
I kind of agree with you. In my situation, my wife works in an office downtown and takes the LRT everyday even though she could have a subsidized parking spot which would only cost her $150 month right beside her office.

For me, I have to pack a ton of samples to do my job in several suitcases and have many clients downtown. LRT just does not work for me. I don't think I should get screwed royally for parking because I can't use the LRT. I wish more people that actually work in offices all day downtown would take the LRT which would free up some space for people that are constantly in and out of the core such as myself which would bring the ridiculous rates down. And many days, I just drive around in circles looking for a spot, especially in winter when alot of people decide to drive and only want to be eco friendly and walk or take LRT when it's not too cold.

I don't consider myself a "suburban slob in an SUV", just a guy trying to make a buck and my clients happen to be downtown.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #14  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:22 PM
Calgarian's Avatar
Calgarian Calgarian is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 24,072
If you don't want to pay for expensive parking, and don't like transit, MOVE DOWNTOWN!!!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #15  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:43 PM
Canterra's Avatar
Canterra Canterra is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Calgary
Posts: 383
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnyc View Post
If you don't want to pay for expensive parking, and don't like transit, MOVE DOWNTOWN!!!
Or at least within walking or biking distance of downtown.
And do it soon.

Can anbody guess what it will cost in 2010?

Monthly Parking $ 750
Litre of gas $ 2.50
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #16  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:44 PM
Champion3's Avatar
Champion3 Champion3 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 802
An interesting question was asked in a letter to the Calgary Herald: If the city can spend a whole bunch of money on new vending machines and cellphone payment for parking, why won't it upgrade transit to be easier to use by installing doing the same thing? Or at least installing ticket machines that dispense change?
__________________
I'm going to the casino. Don't gamble.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #17  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 7:51 PM
93JC 93JC is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 932
Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed View Post


Is saving a few minutes worth $20/day?
Potentially, yeah. Not really in my case, but for some people it is.

Quote:
Also depends on how well-serviced your area is by transit.
Which is what I was getting at. I think it's a pretty safe assumption to say most of the 'burbs have comparatively awful transit service, which is a combination of distance and god-awful suburban roads explicitly designed to keep people off the roads.

Quote:
For me, it's about a 10 minute difference - assuming the roads aren't backed up due to an accident or weather conditions (so most days driving is admittedly quicker).
Same with me, but then again I live in North Glenmore. Even so, because of the bus schedule I leave earlier than a hypothetically would have to if the bus showed up at exactly the right time to get me to work at 8.

If I lived in, say, Evergreen, I'd seriously consider driving to work every day no matter the financial burden. Better to waste $20 a day for a parking spot than spend an extra hour or two on a bus every day. A few hundred dollars a month would be well worth it if it kept me sane.

Quote:
Never mind the fact that unless you already have a reserved parking spot (and waiting lists are now years long for these), you have to get to downtown before around 7am to get a spot.
Oh balderdash. I can get a spot next to work after 8, let alone 7. Granted, I work in the West End near the train tracks...

And, while I don't personally have a reserved spot, I have access to a few on certain days of the week, so once in a while I'll drive.




Some people really do have to drive to work though. My bosses do so not just because they have reserved stalls, but because they're in and out of the office all day. If they have a meeting downtown they'll take the train usually, but if it's in Victoria Park or any further it would waste too much time to take transit, and to take a cab would be much less cost effective.

How about all those contractors? Tradesmen will often take transit, but the contractors need to bring in equipment all the time. Most people here obviously hold downtown hi-rises near and dear to them, and are loving the fact that more are going up all the time. At the same time the lack of parking is making every single construction job more expensive. Hell, on one of my jobs the contractors were trying to bring two AC units into the building, but the delivery truck couldn't get in at the loading dock: under normal circumstances the truck would have parked and waited for a few minutes for space at the dock, but there was no parking so they turned around and went back to the warehouse! It delayed the project two weeks, all because of a lack of parking!



Anyway, back to the original point: transit is not always a viable alternative. To say to people 'shut up, quit whining, take transit' isn't fair, because for many people transit is crap.

Quote:
Originally Posted by h0twired View Post
Transit out in the suburbs (especially if you have an express bus) is really not much slower than driving.
...if your bus shows up on time...

(I've spent many a winter night standing at my bus stop for an hour and a half, waiting for bus. Fortunately they showed up most of the time. Sometimes it didn't, in which cases I was SCREWED and it took be almost four hours to get home.)

Quote:
I prefer transit over driving in the winter because you don't have to worry about lousy drivers.
I prefer driving under any circumstances, as I love to drive. But I especially prefer driving in the winter in order to prevent the aforementioned scenario where I'm stuck waiting in -30 weather for some bus that might or might not show up.

Last edited by 93JC; Jul 27, 2007 at 9:28 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #18  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 8:07 PM
jeffwhit's Avatar
jeffwhit jeffwhit is offline
effete latte-lifter
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Aalborg, DK
Posts: 3,689
We're number 1! We're number 1!
__________________
Arts!: Click to listen
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #19  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 8:10 PM
Boris2k7's Avatar
Boris2k7 Boris2k7 is offline
Majestic
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Calgary
Posts: 12,010
Quote:
Originally Posted by 93JC View Post
If I lived in, say, Evergreen, I'd seriously consider driving to work every day no matter the financial burden. Better to waste $20 a day for a parking spot than spend an extra hour or two on a bus every day. A few hundred dollars a month would be well worth it if it kept me sane.
I live in Evergreen, I can acknowledge the bus routes aren't great, but I take transit everyday and have no problems. Getting TO work is at most 20 minutes longer than by car. Getting from work can be longer, but then again, a brisk 20 minute walk gets the job done as well.

Quote:
Some people really do have to drive to work though. My bosses do so not just because they have reserved stalls, but because they're in and out of the office all day. If they have a meeting downtown they'll take the train usually, but if it's in Victoria Park or any further it would waste too much time to take transit, and to take a cab would be much less cost effective.
What, they can't walk from the damn station? It takes at most 10 minutes. Sheer laziness.

Quote:
How about all those contractors? Tradesmen will often take transit, but the contractors need to bring in equipment all the time. Most people here obviously hold downtown hi-rises near and dear to them, and are loving the fact that more are going up all the time. At the same time the lack of parking is making every single construction job more expensive. Hell, on one of my jobs the contractors were trying to bring two AC units into the building, but the delivery truck couldn't get in at the loading dock: under normal circumstances the truck would have parked and waited for a few minutes for space at the dock, but there was no parking so they turned around and went back to the warehouse! It delayed the project two weeks, all because of a lack of parking!
So set aside more of the existing spots for delivery trucks and short stay. There is no reason to add more parking.

Quote:
Anyway, back to the original point: transit is not always a viable alternative. To say to people 'shut up, quit whining, take transit' isn't fair, because for many people transit is crap.
It isn't always viable because 1) people are unwilling to make some sacrifices in their lifestyle because of the selfish me, me, me, me attitude; and 2) we still refuse to make it a political priority.

Quote:
I prefer driving under any circumstances, as I love to drive. But I especially prefer driving in the winter in order to prevent the aforementioned scenario where I'm stuck waiting in -30 weather for some bus in that might or might show up.
Sounds a bit thin-skinned to me. You can certainly prefer what you want, just don't get the idea that you are entitled to cheap gas, a parking spot, and uncongested roadways. I, for one, will be standing at the bus stop...
__________________
"The only thing that gets me through our winters is the knowledge that they're the only thing keeping us free of giant ass spiders." -MonkeyRonin

Flickr
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #20  
Old Posted Jul 27, 2007, 8:24 PM
You Need A Thneed's Avatar
You Need A Thneed You Need A Thneed is offline
Construction Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Castleridge, NE Calgary
Posts: 5,892
Quote:
Originally Posted by 93JC View Post
How about all those contractors? Tradesmen will often take transit, but the contractors need to bring in equipment all the time. Most people here obviously hold downtown hi-rises near and dear to them, and are loving the fact that more are going up all the time. At the same time the lack of parking is making every single construction job more expensive. Hell, on one of my jobs the contractors were trying to bring two AC units into the building, but the delivery truck couldn't get in at the loading dock: under normal circumstances the truck would have parked and waited for a few minutes for space at the dock, but there was no parking so they turned around and went back to the warehouse! It delayed the project two weeks, all because of a lack of parking!
I have dropped off some stuff at the lougheed building that's far less important than Air Handling Units, I just pulled up on 1st Street, in the driving lane, and turned my hazards on. Sure the people behind you might not like it, but what are you going to do?

For something as important as a Air Handling Unit, the contractor could always have paid to have the parking meters hooded down at city hall (assuming there were meters along the stretch were the project was), then they would have no problem. Frankly, I'm surprised more people don't go do that to a parking meter right outside their place of work. Hooding a meter for a month (and then parking where the meter is hooded) is almost certainly cheaper then having a reserved parking spot.
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Alberta & British Columbia > Calgary > Calgary Issues, Business, Politics & the Economy
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 12:35 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.