[Moncton] Centre Avenir Centre | 26.65m |~6 Fl | Completed

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Moncton doesn't truck away snow from the downtown core to prevent this?

They do from Main Street, St George Street, Assumption Blvd and a couple of the cross connecting streets, but many of the downtown side streets where parking is possible become cattle paths in the winter time. The city often is slow with the snow removal effort too, mostly because they deploy their assets elsewhere to make sure the streets elsewhere in the community are passable.

BTW, this isn't meant to impugn the valiant efforts of the city works crews. In general I think we get good value for the dollar in terms of snow clearing in Moncton. It's just that the elimination of snowbanks in the core and the widening of the streets to allow for on street parking has a very low priority as far as the city is concerned. I don't know if this will change once the events centre opens......

[L'homard]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Moncton doesn't truck away snow from the downtown core to prevent this?

They do at times, but not always. Last year they hauled away more snow than I've ever seen them haul. Not sure about this year as I haven't paid attention.

Meanwhile, I'm one of those who consistently comments on these downtown-parking threads that I won't be bothered by parking elsewhere and walking a distance to the events centre, even in winter.
Even if I still maintain my position, I'm sure that if I have to do it on iced-over sidewalks, I will change my point of view pronto. And if I slip and fall, I will probably be done attending winter events there.
This needs to be addressed. I hope they already have a plan for beefing up ice and snow control on sidewalks in the core. But I doubt it.

[HanSoloCup]

Just noticed on the webcam that the boards are starting to going up.

[HanSoloCup]

Exciting.

[Ire Narissis]

And the collapsible seating installed as well!

...maybe that's been there for awhile and I'm only just now noticing it.

[flyer99]

Originally Posted by felip_ars

Been looking on Twitter about the City doing a poor job (again) removing the snow on the sidewalk Downtown.

Would have thought that they would have taken this year as a "practice round" before their first winter with the new Centre, but I guess like the parking situation...they'll go with the "wait and see" strategy.

I fully agree. There was an interesting interview on CBC Radio this morning with a City spokesperson about the icy streets issue and about the purchasing of salt, the cutting of the snow removal budget, etc. I will post the link below for anyone who hasn't heard this.

However, she admitted that the City did not purchase the same salt as the neighbouring communities which is working so well in those places. The City has gone through 1/4 of the salt in its silo but placed orders for a different salt from another source which is being delivered to the silo now. They are going to use that to see if it makes a difference. I guess money savings take precedence over safety!

They better get this right or we will have a virtually empty arena during these months.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1134680131510

[L'homard]

I'm dubious of the premise that salt from Joe's Salt Co. is much different than the salt from Frank's Salt Co. but will keep an open mind.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by L'homard

I'm dubious of the premise that salt from Joe's Salt Co. is much different than the salt from Frank's Salt Co. but will keep an open mind.

It could make a difference. The old road salt came from the potash mine in Sussex, which means it probably had a lot more KCl than NaCl. Also, the stuff they spread on the roads can have varying degrees of purity as well. If the new batch is only 60% salt rather than 80%, this could be a factor as well.......

[gehrhardt]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It could make a difference. The old road salt came from the potash mine in Sussex, which means it probably had a lot more KCl than NaCl. Also, the stuff they spread on the roads can have varying degrees of purity as well. If the new batch is only 60% salt rather than 80%, this could be a factor as well.......

I agree completely. The old salt had a distinct reddish hue to it, while the new stuff is clear/white. I'm no chemist, but this tells me the chemical composition has changed from new to old.

As someone who drives the TCH from Salisbury to Moncton daily, I have noticed the difference in the amount of ice. It makes me wonder where MRDC is getting their salt too. In the past, they crowed about their use of brine and how their trucks were equipped with temperature sensors to determine when salt was needed. They even pre-treated before a storm.
Now it seems like their section of the highway is in worse shape than the section looked after by NBDOT after a storm (it switches over at Gorge rd). There has been a marked difference in the road quality this year.

[flyer99]

Did anyone read this article posted on The Bend Radio 91.9 today (link below):

Moncton Mayor Not Worried About Downtown Centre Parking
Posted on Thursday, January 11, 2018 18:11 PM

As construction for Moncton's new Downtown Centre enters its final months, many are concerned about a lack of parking during major events.

Mayor Dawn Arnold isn't worried and notes how 1800 parking spots can be seen from the centre's second level.

She notes the city has been working with Hotspot for metered parking with a new tool on the app to help find spaces in real time and she says good transit service will be available.

Arnold admits parking at the new Centre won't be anything like the Coliseum.

"There is parking. Will it all be at the front door and be free? No. The reality is, it's a dispersed plan."

She adds the new Centre may actually have less congestion than the Coliseum following events since vehicles will be parked throughout the downtown and not just in one parking lot with a couple of exits.

LINK: http://919thebend.ca/news/881640938/...centre-parking

[MonctonRad]

And this from CBC:

Cycling group petitions for less parking, more bike lanes in Moncton
Krysta Cowling calls on city to update bylaws and make big parking lots costlier for business
By Vanessa Blanch, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 2:01 PM AT
Last Updated: Jan 11, 2018 2:01 PM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...nsit-1.4482401

I very much like Mayor Dawn Arnold, and I think she has done a fine job as the city's chief magistrate, but I think she has her head stuck in the sand over the parking issue.

Moncton doesn't have a tradition of heavy transit use. It will be difficult to coerce people to use the bus if they don't want to, and the bus will never be as convenient as the car. Bus routes are long and circuitous in this city, with poor frequency and lousy connections. People don't want to take 60-75 minutes to get to the events centre (walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, riding the bus, perhaps making connections etc) when they could easy drive there in 15 minutes. Moncton is a sprawling city with a relatively small population in the core. The events centre therefore shouldn't count on too many pedestrian customers. It is an inescapable conclusion that most people attending events at the downtown arena will drive there. This is a fact.

Nobody likes the ocean of surface parking in the core. It is a blight on the city, and only services a few thousand downtown office workers. This surface parking is effectively inaccessible for the other 90% of metropolitan residents because it is private and patrolled by the boot Nazis. The only solution is to build parking garages in the core and convert the surface parking to more intensive commercial and residential use. This is the future for the downtown core. A major parking structure (ideally south of the CN tracks) should have been part and parcel of the events centre project. It is an actual travesty that it is not..........

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

And this from CBC:

Cycling group petitions for less parking, more bike lanes in Moncton
Krysta Cowling calls on city to update bylaws and make big parking lots costlier for business
By Vanessa Blanch, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 2:01 PM AT
Last Updated: Jan 11, 2018 2:01 PM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...nsit-1.4482401

I very much like Mayor Dawn Arnold, and I think she has done a fine job as the city's chief magistrate, but I think she has her head stuck in the sand over the parking issue.

Moncton doesn't have a tradition of heavy transit use. It will be difficult to coerce people to use the bus if they don't want to, and the bus will never be as convenient as the car. Bus routes are long and circuitous in this city, with poor frequency and lousy connections. People don't want to take 60-75 minutes to get to the events centre (walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, riding the bus, perhaps making connections etc) when they could easy drive there in 15 minutes. Moncton is a sprawling city with a relatively small population in the core. The events centre therefore shouldn't count on too many pedestrian customers. It is an inescapable conclusion that most people attending events at the downtown arena will drive there. This is a fact.

Nobody likes the ocean of surface parking in the core. It is a blight on the city, and only services a few thousand downtown office workers. This surface parking is effectively inaccessible for the other 90% of metropolitan residents because it is private and patrolled by the boot Nazis. The only solution is to build parking garages in the core and convert the surface parking to more intensive commercial and residential use. This is the future for the downtown core. A major parking structure (ideally south of the CN tracks) should have been part and parcel of the events centre project. It is an actual travesty that it is not..........

I tend to agree with the seas of parking being an eyesore but don't agree with removing parking all together though. I would like to see parking garages, or maybe not see them but having them there I've seen what I would consider undercover parking garages Commercial on the main, and parking above with faux walls. I know this group is pushing for new bike lanes but don't believe the curent lanes are being used enough for the city to remove on street parking to be replaced with more bike lanes. As for public transpotation they have to have more standard service I know of a few runs that have there schedule set almost standard ti'll you hit a certain time, and then it changes from the hour to 10 minutes later, or even 20. Ussually during rush hour. I'm not sure the amount of population who use the bus warents the schedule being full on fixed although the new shedule does need a complete overhaul.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Cool fact I just learned; the only athlete ever to play games in both the NHL & MLB is a guy named Jim Riley from Bayfield, N.B. It would be cool to see a plaque or something mentioning this neat fact somewhere at the new events centre.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Cool fact I just learned; the only athlete ever to play games in both the NHL & MLB is a guy named Jim Riley from Bayfield, N.B. It would be cool to see a plaque or something mentioning this neat fact somewhere at the new events centre.

Well they are moving the Sports Wall of Fame to the new events centre. You should let the city know about Mr. Riley. He probably should be included on the wall.

[PEI highway guy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well they are moving the Sports Wall of Fame to the new events centre. You should let the city know about Mr. Riley. He probably should be included on the wall.

The Moncton Sports Wall of Fame Has a call for nominations every year. There is a submission form that must be completed with the reasons/facts behind why the candidate is deserving of being on the wall. The induction ceremony is mid to late October. The ceremony I was at 4 or 5 years ago was at the Capitol Theater. I felt that the ceremony is a very nice/professional event the city holds.

[MonctonRad]

Parking worries loom with Moncton event centre set to open this summer
Moncton Chamber of Commerce hopes the use of parking boots will be regulated before Downtown Centre opens
By Vanessa Blanch, CBC News Posted: Jan 15, 2018 1:28 PM AT| Last Updated: Jan 15, 2018 1:28 PM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...cton-1.4487462

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Parking worries loom with Moncton event centre set to open this summer
Moncton Chamber of Commerce hopes the use of parking boots will be regulated before Downtown Centre opens
By Vanessa Blanch, CBC News Posted: Jan 15, 2018 1:28 PM AT| Last Updated: Jan 15, 2018 1:28 PM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...cton-1.4487462

I see 2 issues 1) the boots being used, andd 2) the fact the city put up a map of the parking that was meant to be a "reason why the city refuses to add parking to the project", and most parking listed was private parking lots where you will be booted.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Scarface

I see 2 issues 1) the boots being used, andd 2) the fact the city put up a map of the parking that was meant to be a "reason why the city refuses to add parking to the project", and most parking listed was private parking lots where you will be booted.

Requoted for absolute truth!!!!

Especially the part about that nearly fraudulent "parking map", where the majority of parking spots listed are located in private bootable lots.

It's time to call a spade a spade - the city has no parking plan for the events centre. They have been counting on the private lot owners in the core to play ball and it is increasingly obvious that the private lot owners are not interested!!!!

There will not be 4000 parking spots within 15 minutes of the events centre available for use. The city will be lucky if there will be 1800 spots available. This is a huge issue, yet the city continues to place it's collective head firmly in the sand and pretend that there's nothing wrong.

Suburbanites are not going to cycle to the events centre (especially in January). They will also be generally disinclined to take public transit (unless it is considerably more convenient than it is right now). At least 80% of the potential patrons of the events centre live beyond convenient walking distance. To pretend that parking is not an issue here is laughable.

We need a downtown parking strategy (i.e. - enclosed parking garages) NOW, not in five years time.

The city needs to wake up!!!!

[Feneant]

I don't understand why the downtown businesses don't raise a stink, they will be severely impacted by this because they, like the event center, have no dedicated parking. Places like Vien Dong, the Taj Mahal, Piato's, etc. will all take a hit in their patrons every night something will be scheduled at the center.

And god forbid they make the mistake of scheduling a show at the capitol the same night as a concert at the event center on a Friday evening, you will have hundreds of cars with nowhere to park unless people accept a 30-45 minute walk from Champlain place.

[MonctonRad]

Very true - the events centre could be a boon for downtown pubs and restaurants if people chose the grab a bite before the game/concert, or a beer after the game but if the available (non booted) parking is clogged by event goers, then their regular customers will have nowhere to park. They could end up losing out in all this.

One solution obviously is to have the private surface parking in the core available for non client parking in the evenings, but as I mentioned above, there seems to be general disinterest in this concept amongst the private lot owners. An alternate solution therefore is necessary. The time for multistorey car parks in the downtown area has arrived..........