Calgary Downtown Parking

urbandaddy · #1 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 9:44 PM**

So with all the new developments going up and less and less parking in the downtown core available, where are there still cheap (maybe even free) alternatives near or in downtown to park?

freeweed · #2 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 9:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbandaddy

So with all the new developments going up and less and less parking in the downtown core available, where are there still cheap (maybe even free) alternatives near or in downtown to park?

Beltline, Park 'n' Ride stations. Some of the parking on 9th Ave is still *relatively* cheap.

I assume you're talking during 9-5, M-F though (as every other time is still basically cheap), in which case the answer is "nowhere".

edzed · #3 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 10:00 PM**

The surface lots in the east villiage are still quite cheap, iirc 7-9 dollars a day. These are the lots between 6th and 9th Ave and 2 and 5th street. Just hop on LRT and its a free ride in the core.

mersar · #4 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 10:14 PM**

And in terms of the Park and Rides, Banff Trail is the easiest to find stalls most days in the NW (Dalhousie is usually full by 7am and Brentwood by 8am in my experience), otherwise as was mentioned the east village lots are probably the cheapest in the core (and likely fill up quite quickly as well)

IntotheWest · #5 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 10:58 PM**

There is no where cheap in the beltline anymore.

I work at the IBM building, and lots are disappearing quickly...just a couple years ago, parking at the IBM building was about $8-9/day. Then, it was across the street for about $11-12/day (which is now $17). As recently as Oct, I was parking where (I think) Keynote is going up for about $9/day - but that lot is gone. The one across from the Seed is $14/day now (upped a $1 since the Keynote lot is closed :-)

Oh - and I paid $33/day at the Westin downtown about a month ago.

Though, this isn't necessarily a bad thing - if the city could just expand the C-train quicker.

Wooster · #6 Posted **Jan 15, 2007, 11:00 PM**

The overall numbers of public stalls is going up with office development. However, the ratio of workers to stalls is shrinking with time.

It is a good strategy to limit parking because you can't really jam many more cars into downtown anymore. The roads are beyond capacity. The alternative is to bring people by transit, which of course is way behind too. Time to speed up LRT expansion!!

Fiveway · #7 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 12:10 AM**

I totally agree. The answer isn't more parking, it's less cars.

Claeren · #8 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 12:23 AM**

Except that the high parking rates is just driving everyone from the core - so that you get more cars, they are just spread ALL over the city instead of focused in the core.

I cannot believe that some of you who seem to have a good grasp of cause and effect and general planning actually think this policy is a good idea.

The city would have been FAR better off not limiting the parking stalls but instead just rallying to tax the ones that got built/exist. Then they take those profits and plow them into LRT.

The way it is now just leads to FAT FAT FAT profits for a bunch of private operators, no parking in the core for everyday people, and business increasingly looking to move out to the far suburbs to attract the talent they need who merely want parking v. no parking OR good LRT service.

The parking rates and availability in the core is the type of factor that will take DECADES to fix and could potentially be 'the straw that broke the camels back' in terms of city affordability and competitiveness for non-oil and gas players. It will hallow out downtown and/or stunt its growth over the next 50 years dramatically.

At this rate, there will be 50M sq-ft of new suburban space built before then is another 10M of core space built. The viability of each proposed big downtown proposal chipped away by the many smaller suburban projects popping up ALL over the city. And we have just seen the beginning of it...

And why can't a bunch of suburbanites sit in traffic all morning and night? LET THEM. At least downtown is not hallowed out when they all decide to go work elsewhere in the city.

Claeren.

Rob D · #9 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 12:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbandaddy

So with all the new developments going up and less and less parking in the downtown core available, where are there still cheap (maybe even free) alternatives near or in downtown to park?

CorporateWhore · #10 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 1:20 AM**

i know a few free places to park in the core, but you'll have to put a gun to my head before i give those up!

frinkprof · #11 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 1:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

The city would have been FAR better off not limiting the parking stalls but instead just rallying to tax the ones that got built/exist. Then they take those profits and plow them into LRT.

That would be a hell of an idea. Bronconnier is breaking down the province's door to get a continuous revenue stream for infrastructure. Why not meet them halfway and create one by doing something like this?

Suburban office space wouldn't be horrible if it was TOD or at least close to an LRT line, part of a mixed-use development, or both. At least the city is somewhat ahead of the game by looking to develop the areas around future LRT stations.

Anyway, back to the main topic. I think a few (key word) of the remaining surface lots should be developed into high capacity parkades, ideally with some vision for making them as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Bassic Lab · #12 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 1:58 AM**

I don't see parking in the core as being a real problem as far as long stay is concerned. Road capacity is not going to grow so the current situation where parking capacity is increasing with each new development but decreasing on a per capita basis is more than fine. The real problem lies with short stay parking. People that might want to do some shopping in the afternoon, when road capacity isn't a problem, are the ones that have problems. Park and rides are also reasonably full, so options are not really there.

It is the retailers that are complaining about this, not really the corporations. I don't think office space going to the suburbs is really linked to parking availability as much as cost and the growing distances, suburban office space just makes more sense with a city that has a footprint this big.

Wooster · #13 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 5:10 AM**

There is an idea in the Centre City Plan to increase taxes on surface lots and vacant land. I like your idea Claeren of putting a tax or surcharge on parking lots to be directed towards transit. Can you imagine if $2 out of every time someone parked downtown went to transit, we could build the West Line in no time!

^ I agree that the short term stay parking needs to be addressed badly.

Riise · #14 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 6:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh white

Can you imagine if $2 out of every time someone parked downtown went to transit...

I can imagine so much that I probably won't be able to go to sleep tonight because I'll still be thinking of all the cool projects the city could complete. Any way, it is a solid idea that should be considered.

Rusty van Reddick · #15 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 4:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

Except that the high parking rates is just driving everyone from the core
Claeren.

...which is why we have the lowest office vacancy rate in the entire world.

Try again.

IntotheWest · #16 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 5:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

...which is why we have the lowest office vacancy rate in the entire world.

Try again.

I agree - I think there will be some driven from the core, but equally, there will be people attracted to live in the core (or closer to good transit). High parking rates haven't scared off people in other cities.

LordMandeep · #17 Posted **Jan 16, 2007, 8:50 PM**

that was a very dumb thing to say.

However i found it a pain to find parking in downtown Calgary. New York isn't to bad we parked anywhere and never were bothered, its only when you are trying to fing legit parking spots. If i tried the same in Toronto i would have gotten like $300 in parking fines. Man here they fine people like mad.

As the city gets denser the lots in its core will dissapear.
My dad used to say in the early 80d's parking in dowtown was dirt cheap and you could park anymore. Try it now during the work day and its very hard.

lebeaubuyter · #18 Posted **Feb 9, 2007, 4:15 AM**

just ride the train but don't pay for a transit ticket... it mitigates the frustration

dubiousmike · #19 Posted **Feb 9, 2007, 4:24 AM**

I was having drinks with one of my friends who works for a staffing agency. And she was telling me that filling positions downtown is just as, if not more, difficult than filling positions in the sticks, simply because of the parking and accessibility issues.

Shit tons of Calgarians don't want to work downtown. It can be a pain in the ass, logistically speaking.

I don't blame 'em. Every day on my way to work I see C-Trains packed like sardine cans. People standing like that for 15? 20? 30 minutes at a time? Nobody should have to deal with that shit everyday. That sucks.

mersar · #20 Posted **Feb 9, 2007, 4:24 AM**

Until you get caught and handed a $150 fine. It happens. The other day 2 transit officers boarded the train as I was heading from vic park back to the NW, and went through the car asking to see tickets before the train got to Olympic Plaza. At least 2 or 3 people got caught. I've been seeing more and more presence lately by transit security, and every time they are ticketing people.