I would agree to this idea, however with all the construction going on in the downtown area, adding more spaces is not really a viable suggestion, nor are the conditions of the roads.
If there were available street space, then I can see this idea working, another suggestion would be to open up parking in the parking lots and allow the handicap park for free, but it would have to be agreed upon by the lot management and building owners. Wasn't there something in the new handicap access laws about this, I could be way off the mark to begin with... ---- Begin Included Message ---- Thanks to David Brauer and the city's web site, I've now read the proposed Parking Meter Management Plan (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2002-meetings/20020726/docs/16_ Parking_Meter_Mgmt_Plan.pdf). I think continuing to let people with disabilities park for free but enforcing the meter's actual time limit is the best solution to this part of the parking problem (unless a person can demonstrate that there are no other viable parking options in close proximity to work -- in which case they could park all day). The plan currently proposes allowing up to 4 hours of parking at a one- or two-hour meter, but that seems almost as easy to get around as the current regulation. What seems to be missing altogether from the plan is any effort to increase the number of on-street spaces in downtown's core. Councilmember Lisa Goodman once posted to Mpls Issues that the city has tried to identify new parking spaces and I have no reason to doubt her, but I wonder if the city shouldn't take a fresh look at it and make adding spaces a priority as part of this meter management plan. I'm always struck by the high percentage of downtown curb space where you CAN'T park. Loading zones (approved by the council and paid for by property owners or businesses) eat up at least 1/2-block of curb space on most blocks of the "Avenues" and there are virtually no meters on 4th through 10th "Streets" between Hennepin and 5th Avenue (in part because of all the garage entrances). As part of the city's cost/benefit analysis of this plan, I'd like to see: 1. if it makes sense to eliminate some loading zones and replace them with metered parking; and 2. if there are streets currently with little or no parking (6th, 8th, 10th) where non-rush hour parking could be added along both sides of the street. There are obvious trade-offs to these suggestions, but I think more on-street parking makes for a more livable downtown (added convenience for visitors, buffer for pedestrians, etc.) and that is more important than moving traffic as quickly as possible or encountering the occasional double-parked delivery truck. Just a thought. John Rocker Calhoun _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ---- End Included Message ---- Russell Sasaoka Coon Rapids (Formerly of Loring Park) Working in Minneapolis Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
