Parking

[SteveUL]

Nov 1, 2017 0:34:03 GMT -4 buckybuckbuck said:

How much is parking in a Garage from 6:30pm to 10:00pm? Also aren't metered parking spaces free during this time? Also how much is a parking ticket if you get confused by snow banks etc? Let's deal with the facts.

For me, I want parking very close to free as the ticket is already expensive. I don't mind walking but I want to know the downtown opportunists aren't breaking into my car while I'm at the game. If happens even once I would think before going again.

90% of Wildcats fans are lazier have less disposable money than me so if this turns into a slug, is too expensive, or a pain in the ass than all the shaming in the world isn't going to change the fact that I won't return especially for the 90% of the games which have very little on the table. If I'm not going than lots of me are not going either. Lets hope its free and reasonably easy to find spaces.

I believe on-street parking is free after 6:00 PM on week nights ... and free on weekends. There are some parking lots that charge after 6:00 on weekends.

[jimmy]

Nov 1, 2017 0:34:03 GMT -4 buckybuckbuck said:

For me, I want parking very close to free as the ticket is already expensive. I don't mind walking but I want to know the downtown opportunists aren't breaking into my car while I'm at the game. If happens even once I would think before going again.

90% of Wildcats fans are lazier have less disposable money than me so if this turns into a slug, is too expensive, or a pain in the ass than all the shaming in the world isn't going to change the fact that I won't return especially for the 90% of the games which have very little on the table. If I'm not going than lots of me are not going either. Lets hope its free and reasonably easy to find spaces.

Everything you say is a legitimate point. I think for big events, the Downtown Centre will be far superior to the Coliseum ... if you are going to a big show, concert, special event like for example Memorial Cup or international hockey, etc., the inconvenience of getting in and out of downtown will be far outweighed by the excitement and experience. That said, for people who attend 35-40 events per year, the additional costs, extra time to get to and from the building, and walking may be a big enough nuisance to offset the benefits of the new centre. The Cats are going to need to adjust - the fan base will no doubt need to shift to some extent from older season ticketholders to more of an event based crowd ... will it? Time will tell - but the experience in other cities seems to suggest that new downtown arenas do not have a negative impact on attendance for their hockey tenants.

As for pricing - IMO, major junior hockey is dirt cheap for entertainment. A movie costs as much if not more ... and I would suggest there is no live entertainment any cheaper (think of other events at Coliseum, shows at Capitol or Casino, etc.) ... That said, it is tough when a market comes to expect a certain price, if that price goes up, even indirectly due to things like parking ...

[npsh]

I dare say some could say we have been spoiled over the many years at the Coliseum and no doubt there is merit in that thinking. ScotiaBank Centre in Halifax and Mile One in St. John’s NL are places I am acquainted with and are downtown core locations where parking is at a premium. I guess it is the new reality starting next year for us however I will say that Halifax and St. John’s have very good public transit systems and perhaps our city may be listening. Just saying!!

[buckybuckbuck]

I will just add, that there has been an argument that the parking facility will sit empty for much of the time but truth is it will only sit as empty as the Rink. So do we not build the rink? Too late for that.

I would also argue that it wouldn't be empty hardly any of the time as much of Moncton is a patch work of ugly dirt lots with cars parked on them for 8hrs a day. Would it not be in the best interest of the city to build a proper parking facility next to the rink with a controllable parking price and a reasonable daily rate? Wouldn't that rejuvenate the downtown? Wouldn't those dirt parking lots look better as Business Buildings? Better for the tax base I think. The dirt lot patch work doesn't exist in Halifax I don't believe. We can do better.

[Jack Bauer]

Nov 1, 2017 16:29:54 GMT -4 buckybuckbuck said:

I will just add, that there has been an argument that the parking facility will sit empty for much of the time but truth is it will only sit as empty as the Rink. So do we not build the rink? Too late for that.

I would also argue that it wouldn't be empty hardly any of the time as much of Moncton is a patch work of ugly dirt lots with cars parked on them for 8hrs a day. Would it not be in the best interest of the city to build a proper parking facility next to the rink with a controllable parking price and a reasonable daily rate? Wouldn't that rejuvenate the downtown? Wouldn't those dirt parking lots look better as Business Buildings? Better for the tax base I think. The dirt lot patch work doesn't exist in Halifax I don't believe. We can do better.

Arguing that a parking garage would improve the economy of a city through conversion of "old dirt lots"

The things you read on the internet...

[lirette]

Nov 1, 2017 16:29:54 GMT -4 buckybuckbuck said:

I will just add, that there has been an argument that the parking facility will sit empty for much of the time but truth is it will only sit as empty as the Rink. So do we not build the rink? Too late for that.

I would also argue that it wouldn't be empty hardly any of the time as much of Moncton is a patch work of ugly dirt lots with cars parked on them for 8hrs a day. Would it not be in the best interest of the city to build a proper parking facility next to the rink with a controllable parking price and a reasonable daily rate? Wouldn't that rejuvenate the downtown? Wouldn't those dirt parking lots look better as Business Buildings? Better for the tax base I think. The dirt lot patch work doesn't exist in Halifax I don't believe. We can do better.

Of course having buildings there instead of empty lots is better. Empty parking lots generate next to no revenue while office buildings pay massive taxes to be in the downtown core along with add more foot traffic which brings more need for restaurants/shops etc.

Over time the ideal scenario is replace the surface lots with 4-5-6 story buildings and then build a few garages to meet the parking needs. But the buildings won't just show up out of thin air. People need to have patience while the city grows a lot of these things will sort themselves out naturally. Just because there will be an adjustment period for parking on day 1 doesnt mean this building is doomed.

[Captain Obvious]

Nov 1, 2017 16:29:54 GMT -4 buckybuckbuck said:

I will just add, that there has been an argument that the parking facility will sit empty for much of the time but truth is it will only sit as empty as the Rink. So do we not build the rink? Too late for that.

I would also argue that it wouldn't be empty hardly any of the time as much of Moncton is a patch work of ugly dirt lots with cars parked on them for 8hrs a day. Would it not be in the best interest of the city to build a proper parking facility next to the rink with a controllable parking price and a reasonable daily rate? Wouldn't that rejuvenate the downtown? Wouldn't those dirt parking lots look better as Business Buildings? Better for the tax base I think. The dirt lot patch work doesn't exist in Halifax I don't believe. We can do better.

I doubt the city would build it themselves, but they may give incentive to have somebody build and run it so as to make their new events center more attractive/accessible. I think having the rink built, will eventually lead to more businesses in that end of downtown, thus creating more need for parking at all hours. A good spot for a parking facility would be behind the old SMT terminal, it's a 3-4 minute walk, and close enough to main downtown businesses to be full 5 days a week 8-5pm.

In terms of public transit, the GMA is a very spread out area so it's not as practical to have half the fans use it like say Quebec or Halifax.

[Deleted]

You guys should google some articles on city development and parking. parking lots and structures are a colossal waste of space and do not help cities grow.I really am discouraged that the horror of walking a few blocks with friends and family is that big an issue for some people. If you go to any event in a city...you walk. Moncton is no different than any other small city.

[canuck]

Nov 1, 2017 22:15:28 GMT -4 @jason said:

You guys should google some articles on city development and parking. parking lots and structures are a colossal waste of space and do not help cities grow.I really am discouraged that the horror of walking a few blocks with friends and family is that big an issue for some people. If you go to any event in a city...you walk. Moncton is no different than any other small city.

Wait until you are old and have bad knees!    It will give you a different perspective.

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2017 22:54:21 GMT -4 canuck said:

Nov 1, 2017 22:15:28 GMT -4 @jason said:

You guys should google some articles on city development and parking. parking lots and structures are a colossal waste of space and do not help cities grow.I really am discouraged that the horror of walking a few blocks with friends and family is that big an issue for some people. If you go to any event in a city...you walk. Moncton is no different than any other small city.

Wait until you are old and have bad knees!    It will give you a different perspective.

who said i am not and already have....

[ronmac]

I don't understand all the fuss amount revitalizing the down town, it's small and not very appealing , it's like all cites, you could not revitalize old Montreal or old Quebec you need a downtown that can grow, downtown Moncton has very little to offer, it's small it's old, close down the streets and make it a pedestrian walkway only, it's too small for a downtown core, there were lots of other options of where a new arena should have and could have been built. but unfortunately that is not what this council decided, and now we have to live with it like it or not. my opinion for what it is worth.

[lirette]

Nov 2, 2017 18:52:38 GMT -4 ronmac said:

I don't understand all the fuss amount revitalizing the down town, it's small and not very appealing , it's like all cites, you could not revitalize old Montreal or old Quebec you need a downtown that can grow, downtown Moncton has very little to offer, it's small it's old, close down the streets and make it a pedestrian walkway only, it's too small for a downtown core, there were lots of other options of where a new arena should have and could have been built. but unfortunately that is not what this council decided, and now we have to live with it like it or not. my opinion for what it is worth.

Yeah..spurring economical development is awful. Are you one of those people who complains on the City of Moncton fb page that they need to pave the roads or put money into the hospitals with no solution on how to pay for that offered? The money has to come from somewhere.

Building permits the last 2 years have been record breaking. Over $250 million last year and already over $270 million this year, in a city that was typically doing a yearly average $150 million.

Building this arena anywhere else would be advocating for urban spawl, something Moncton has already done far too much of.

This city is growing whether you like it or not, and in big part due to this project. Massive projects lining up Vaughn Harvey with Condos/Office Space/Hotels are already announced/underway along with 10 storey condo building/hotel at the other end of downtown.. To say investing in downtown is a mistake is just a negative anti growth opinion. These projects brings massive tax dollars back to the City & the Province that so desperately needs money.

[Captain Obvious]

Nov 2, 2017 18:52:38 GMT -4 ronmac said:

I don't understand all the fuss amount revitalizing the down town, it's small and not very appealing , it's like all cites, you could not revitalize old Montreal or old Quebec you need a downtown that can grow, downtown Moncton has very little to offer, it's small it's old, close down the streets and make it a pedestrian walkway only, it's too small for a downtown core, there were lots of other options of where a new arena should have and could have been built. but unfortunately that is not what this council decided, and now we have to live with it like it or not. my opinion for what it is worth.

It all fits hand in hand, if you don't upgrade the downtown, pretty soon it's like St.John where everybody with higher income lives and shops in the suburbs and your tax base sucks.

If you bring people in, they spend money and everything grows from there.

[Bruce Wayne]

Nov 2, 2017 18:52:38 GMT -4 ronmac said:

I don't understand all the fuss amount revitalizing the down town, it's small and not very appealing , it's like all cites, you could not revitalize old Montreal or old Quebec you need a downtown that can grow, downtown Moncton has very little to offer, it's small it's old, close down the streets and make it a pedestrian walkway only, it's too small for a downtown core, there were lots of other options of where a new arena should have and could have been built. but unfortunately that is not what this council decided, and now we have to live with it like it or not. my opinion for what it is worth.

Reading opinions like this make me frustrated. Downtown Moncton is 'smaller' due to sprawl and moronic building decisions. I offer you the location of the casino - in my opinion, this should have been built downtown, it would have created density in the core, and bring people downtown. Look how many shows happen here! We had an opportunity to mimic what Halifax did when they built their casino...

Another building decision that is up there is the decision to relocate Moncton High out of Moncton to Tankville...

Densification of downtown Moncton is needed to allow the city to continue to grow; reusing existing infrastructure (power, sewer, water, roads) keeps your tax bill lower over time and produces a more vibrant core.

I do agree with one point, I think downtown centre could have had a better location. If it was my choice I would've built it where the Rogers call centre is now... but I understand why Highfield Square location was chosen; it was going to become an empty lot for 20+ years unless the city chose that site...

[Bruce Wayne]

Oh, to add, the parking issue is being overblown imo, but a few items I feel the city needs to address is a crossover walkway from the south side of the rail tracks to the arena is needed; people will take the shortest path possible and people will trespass so may as well take the opportunity to make it safe... see the pedestrian overpass in Riverview on Findlay.