Utter Nonsense and Bricktown Parking
For years I’ve asked the tough questions posed by some of you readers. I’ve explained to Bricktown property owners and merchants your frustration about not being able to find affordable parking spots on busy event nights.
Tonight I now know those of you who feel this way are …. forgive me … completely deluded.
It had to be said. There’s a point where perception totally disconnects with reality. We’ve hit that point.
It’s 8 p.m., Wednesday night. The sold out opening game for the Oklahoma City Thunder has been underway for an hour. The Bricktown folks conducted a little experiment tonight. They insisted that during the Hornets’ tenure at Ford Center the Bricktown garage next to the ballpark and the parking lots north of Main Street never filled up. So, what would happen if they opened the lots up for free for the evening and made every effort to publicize the effort in the newspaper, on radio and television?
The north parking lots and the garage still didn’t fill up. There are dozens of empty spaces available in the north lot, and as of 15 minutes ago, there were still 30 open spaces at the garage.
Oh, by the way, these spaces are never more than $5. Never.
The Bricktown folks are right - based on what I’m seeing tonight, it’s hard to believe they would ever be in a situation where they don’t have open, affordable parking spaces.
Could Bricktown make better accomodations to encourage retail development? Sure. Could Bricktown do a better job at educating the public where to park? You bet. But in the overall scheme of things, it’s difficult to understand any more what all the complaining is about.
It’s time to move on.
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Comments
Thank you steve. Ive never…..ever….had a problem finding a place to park in bricktown, I dont know how you couldnt…..Ive been to two seasons + 1 game of the nba downtown, and go to redhawks games as much as possible. Ive been down there on a nite when there was a hornets game, a blazers game and a concert happening at the same time and never had trouble finding parking. But Im not afraid to walk a block or two and maybe thats the difference. Its true that for some of the hornets games the parking lot near zios charged $10 or more, but the bricktown garage and santa fe garage have NEVER been more than $5…..ever.
Finally! This should put an end to the parking controversy in Bricktown - RIght?
Well, not really.
Steve, what happens in January when the Hampton Inn opens next to the Bricktown parking garage? Where will the approximately 40-90 cars or more that will belong to hotel guests park? Looks like to me the plan is to park them in the garage. So you’re going to have to assume that the parking garage will fill up most game nights after January. I suppose that one still would have the north parking area . . . if you can find it. But even there Steve, will the Holiday Inn express use that area to park their guests? I guess the point is, for now, there remain many inexpensive parking options available in Bricktown. But the reality is that won’t last for long.
Steve, you have a valid point, and I TOTALLY agree that the only parking problem we have is perception, BUT you’re comparing ONE FREE NIGHT, to thousands of nights it has been for a fee. I planned on parking there for free and totally forgot by the time I headed to the game. I ended up paying $5 at Sante Fe parking lot. The naysayers point is that if they knew it was free all the time, it would be more of a habit to go there, versus mentally blocking paid parking out of their mind. See my point? I’d rather see development on those open surface lots though and pay to park.
Steve, you are 100% accurate. From my speaking to folks, the complaining about Bricktown parking is due to the fact that much of the parking is pay-parking rather than free. For better or worse, unless you work downtown, most people in the metro are still not used to pay-parking or having to walk any distance to your destination, and if you have to pay or walk, it becomes a situation where you think there is no parking. It seems like more of a mental block than anything. Throughout the Hornets stay and last night’s Opening Night I have never had a problem finding pay parking slots. Occasionally there will be a time where I can not park in a particular lot because it is full, but that is rarely the case for more than one lot I try. We need to continue to reinforce the change of thought that Bricktown/Ford Center is a “walking” attraction and not just another mall or single restaurant where you park at the door and walk right in. It is a destination to be enjoyed in its totality…which includes a walk to take in the sights. In any event, keep up the good work.
Jeffrey,
It is true that each new use creates new demand, but it also true that there are HUNDREDS of spaces west of EK Gaylord - largerly catering to the 9 to 5 crowd - that also sit empty after 5pm. The counts done as part of the Bricktown Parking study showed that even on a 2-event night - something at the Ford and something at the Cox - there was ample capacity in the BPI lots to the north of Bricktown and the Power Alley Garage, as well as the garage under the Cox and the Santa Fe Garage.
Your argument assumes that every single person staying at those two new hotels is not going to the game or is not using any of the other land uses in Bricktown. People don’t use urban districts that way - we should be seeing 2 to 3 trips per car (restaurant before, game, drink afterwards). In a perfect world, if people are parking just to go to the game and they have no intention of using a Bricktown business, then I would argue that they should save the Bricktown spots for people that are.
I agree that all this has probably helped the situation, more free parking and a cap. However, perception is reality when it comes to business. If people aren’t educated on where to park, if parking is hard to find and if places are poorly lit and not safe feeling… you get a “parking problem.” Even if realistically there shouldn’t be a problem. I also agree with the addition of more and more hotels and bigger events, this “problem” won’t disappear. I don’t claim to have a magic solution either. I do know that I’ve had issues finding parking but that hasn’t been recent since the new rules and free went into effect. If my wife is with me we can usually find parking, however, I’m not the greatest at finding my way around and directions confuse me sometimes. So I would say a good start might be better signs, more advertising and a safe feeling.
this is what a big league city is all about. How much fun is a Thunder game (NBA) in OKC. WOW! Parking is the least of our worries…….10 20 I would pay 50 like in denver
Maybe Brett, but I wonder if Bricktown wouldn’t face an outright boycott if parking prices were raised to $20 to $50 for a spot. OKC is not Denver. People do not have the option of using public transit to getting to a game.
Pass the salt Steve.