Parkageddon 2011

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (and Streetcars!).

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Brad
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Parkageddon 2011

Post by Brad »

It upsets me off that the Omaha media is making a HUGE deal out of the "lack" of parking downtown tonight.  The Omaha media should be on board with this project and these events educating people and not scaring them away.  Has the Omaha media Forgotten about Rosenblatt already?  Has the Omaha media never been to a Husker Game?  Has the Omaha media never been to an event in a big city?

If Omaha is going to be a big city its time to start acting like it!

The fact is that Downtown Omaha is completely capable of handling 40,000 people.  People need to think outside the box.  As long as everyone doesn't hop on 480 and get off at 14th street things are going to be fine.

Parking at Gallup for TDA is closer than parking at the Haymarket for the Huskers
Parking on the 10th Street Bridge for TDA is closer than parking on 16th & I80 for Rosenblatt
Parking on the streets near the Civic for TDA is closer than parking at 17th and Holdredge for the Huskers.
Parking around 20th and Cuming for TDA is closer than parking at 14 and Missouri Ave for Rosenblatt.

Remember if this was the CWS at Rosenblatt or a Husker game in Lincoln, Your are not going to roll up at 6:45 and park in a lot next to the stadium, so don't expect it downtown either!

Remember you have 9+ access points too!  
1.  14th Street Exit on 480
2.  20th Street Exit on 480
3.  Dodge Street
4.  Leavenworth Street
5.  Martha Street Exit on 480.
6.  13th Street Exit on 80
7.  Take 80 over in to CB, up I29 and back over on Dodge
8.  Take Abbott Drive from the north side
9.  Take Cuming street

Personally I think tonight is awesome, and I can't wait to get downtown!
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Post by almighty_tuna »

I couldn't agree more, Brad.  Tonight will also be a great shakedown of the new electronic signage before the CWS rolls in.  It requires a shift in thinking that you can't just pull up to Lot B, pay $8 and skip to your destination, but rather parking a ways a way and let someone else drive you in and deal with the congestion.  MAT's running a special circulator, right?



However, it wouldn't be local news if there wasn't some sort of inferiority melodrama.
Major Metropolitan Traffic News wrote:...For those coming from 480 you have many options available.  Take Leavenworth, Harney, Douglas or wrap around to 20th or 14th. Cuming St exit will also lead you right to the ballpark.  For those interested in less congestion, park inexpensively at Midtown Crossing and grab a shuttle.  They will arrive every 15min to take you to/from North Downtown all run all evening long.
Omaha Traffic News wrote:If you're lucky enough to get within 10 blocks of North Downtown, please remember to bring supplies for your family, a first aid kit and Xanex as you will end up stuck there for the majority of May before you can find a place to park.  Expect to lose one member of your family to dysentery.  Also, as soon as you venture one block north of Dodge you will probably be shot at.  So, really, why not skip the game & concert all together and head out to the viewing party in East Lincoln, only a 10min drive from Elkhorn and plenty of free parkingGOHUSKERSOMGWTFBBQ1!!11  And, here's Marvin with your Weathergasm 5000 forecast
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Post by OmahaBen »

While I agree the hysteria is a bit out of whack, unlike Husker games or Rosenblatt where everyone has their favored parking destinations in mind, this is a new scenario so people don't have the kinks worked out, yet. It's the first time there are big events going on in both the stadium and Qwest at the same time. Getting the word out that there will be parking issues is fine.
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Post by almighty_tuna »

OmahaBen wrote:While I agree the hysteria is a bit out of whack, unlike Husker games or Rosenblatt where everyone has their favored parking destinations in mind, this is a new scenario so people don't have the kinks worked out, yet. It's the first time there are big events going on in both the stadium and Qwest at the same time. Getting the word out that there will be parking issues is fine.
I think the point of contention is that it's less education about parking issues and solutions to avoid them, but more 'sky is falling in little ol' omaha' that is really irritating.
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Post by iamjacobm »

There is also the MTC shuttle too!
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Post by omaja »

Sounds a bit like the people who were bitter about Rosenblatt closing are still on a tirade to devalue the new stadium.  There is probably more parking within a five-minute walking radius of North Downtown than there is within a mile or two of Rosenblatt.  Rosenblatt was in an infinitely inferior location with infinitely inferior access and parking so this is really much ado about nothing.  Instead of advertising the multitude of entrance and exit routes, the local media just bitches about imagined parking issues.  Par for the course, certainly.

I'd love to see these types of people maneuver around the Fenway area when a Red Sox game lets out.  Only then would they be able to talk about a |expletive|.  :yes:
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Post by Brad »

Exactly.  Other than "Take the Midtown Shuttle", most medial outlets are not giving alternative routes or alternative parking suggestions.  

You know how many people that live in North West Omaha would never think to take Military Road to Blair high to 90th to Sworensen, to Storz, to Abbott Drive.  That route is so fast and there way less traffic lights.
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Post by iamjacobm »

I can already tell how excited Joe and Jane Smith will say when they get to 16th and Cuming and see The Yard being paved!
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Post by S33 »

Can we have an entire sub-category dedicated to bashing local media? I have a boat-load of screen shots I've taken that need some lovin'.  :)
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Post by mrdwhsr »

Less panic at KFAB than others maybe? 9,000 parking spaces within a 12 minute walk? That doesn't sound too bad at all. Plus a website (parking.com)? It must be easier to sell advertising when you encourage people to panic.

http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/mainheadl ... le=8547224

Officials with the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority are encouraging fans to make their parking plans ahead of time and to arrive early.

Parking information is available on both Qwest Center Omaha’s and TD Ameritrade Park Omaha’s websites.  MECA officials say they anticipate
that their parking lots will fill to capacity for both events and that it will be important for fans to be aware that there are 9,000 parking spaces within a 12 minute walk of the MECA campus.

A good resource for parking information is Central Parking’s website, parking.com.  Fans can see detailed maps and get information on multiple parking lots within walking distance of the Qwest Center and TD Ameritrade Park.


MECA also suggests people car pool or park at Midtown Crossing and take one of the free shuttles. The shuttles will begin at 5 p.m. and run continuously throughout the evening until 90 minutes after the game and concert are over. To see the shuttle route and for more information, visit midtowncrossing.com
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Post by Uffda »

Brad wrote:  

You know how many people that live in North West Omaha would never think to take Military Road to Blair high to 90th to Sorensen, to Storz, to Abbott Drive.  That route is so fast and there way less traffic lights.

When I worked at the QWEST Center I would take Sorensen to North Freeway to hamilton and then over to Cuming to park in Lot D in 15 min -- going home Abbott to Sorensen
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Post by Brad »

Just looked out the press box window.... Cuming is backed up from 10th to 18th.  Coming in from the other direction by the airport, absolutely no traffic...
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Post by omaja »

Wow, people really are not very smart.  Even exiting to Douglas or other streets to the south would get you there faster.
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Post by iamjacobm »

Dropped off my parents at the concert at 6:30 and got all the way up to the light on 13th before I hit trouble.  Took me two light switches and I was through.  Driving pack up Farnam street was a sight though!  Tons of people all over DT it was very cool and when I passed MTC it looked like 200 people were milling about the park waiting for the shuttle.  I cannot wait to see how cool the CWS is going to be.
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Post by Brad »

Overall I think tonight went great!

The only Vehicle Pedestrian close call I saw as Jobba Chamberlain's Dad darn near ran me over Twice tonight in his little scooter!
Last edited by Brad on Tue May 10, 2011 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Brad »

WOWT just did two Back to Back great stories about tonight and how great everything was!

Way to go wowt!
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Post by Big E »

Walking from the OM to TDAPO, there were probably 100-150 empty spots in the Qwest lot immediately south of the stadium at 7ish on the way in and 9ish on the way out.

There is so much surface parking overkill downtown it makes me want to vomit.
Stable genius.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

I am sure this photo will make some people upset.

Image
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Post by S33 »

I don't know why everyone is all up in a tizzy-fit about some of this parking. The parking will go to a form of underground garage, or even a street level mixed-use (|expletive| hate that word now, thanks guys) garage type, the second the demand to develop this land hits a certain threshold. We seem to want the density of some of the older, larger cities, yet we don't have land values or demand even remotely close to those cities to let that type of development evolve on its own.

Reality check: Omaha is not a large city, nor are the downtown land values such that it requires developers to invest heavily in every square foot of space - and they can't be forced to, either.
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Post by Brad »

just like I said in on of these other threads, +/- 50 acres of vacant land in downtown Omaha is not helping the situation any...
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Post by iamjacobm »

I don't think you should pave every vacant lot until the demand is there though.  Those MECA lots are going to be the last to go in the area most likely(even though it does look like |expletive|).
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Post by mrdwhsr »

There is at least some greenery - trees and grass - and you don't have to drive through buckling asphalt. As parking lots go it's above average. Still a 'sea' but kinda like the Mediterranean Sea as opposed to the Arctic Ocean. There are plenty of parking lots south of Capital Street that look worse that should be developed first.
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

After having personally driven a car through Los Angeles, Boston, and San Juan during rush hour, I can confidently say that the Omaha media does not get out much.

Here's Boston right after 5:
Image

Here's San Juan around 5 as well. Not an incredibly large city at 2,000,000 people, but a dense one with crappy transit. Note the cars backed up on the right and the interchange in the distance. That interchange is what they're waiting to get to. It's hard to tell but there are three lanes of idling traffic to the right of the blue PT Cruiser.
Image

Relatively speaking, Omaha has no traffic problems.
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Post by omaja »

Brad wrote:I am sure this photo will make some people upset.
No, it just makes local media look all the more like idiots considering there is ample parking to support any large event Omaha might consider hosting.
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Here's Boston right after 5:
That even looks lighter than normal.  Looks like you missed one of the better days when both directions of I-93 are gridlocked in and out of downtown. :lol:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Relatively speaking, Omaha has no traffic problems.
I don't know if I'd go that far.  In terms of freeways, Omaha is pretty good (except for Dodge and I-80/I-680 sometimes).  Roads out west are pretty pathetic, though, given the amount of traffic they handle (Center, L, Q, Millard Ave., 144th, 168th, etc. are strained/over capacity in certain areas).  Bottom line, though, is people love to |expletive| about traffic no matter how insignificant it might be. :;):
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Post by almighty_tuna »

Nice!
OWH wrote:North downtown business leaders, city planning officials and representatives of Metro — formerly called Metro Area Transit — have put together a special bus line that will allow fans to park their cars downtown and hop on a bus to the stadium for 25 cents each way.

The line, which will connect the Old Market to the stadium, will run along Jackson Street on the south, 10th Street on the east, Cuming Street on the north and 16th Street on the west.

The buses will run every 10 minutes, starting two hours before the first game of the day and ending two hours after the last one.
http://omaha.com/article/20110514/NEWS0 ... to-the-cws
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Post by Brad »

OWH wrote:The buses will run every 10 minutes, starting two hours before the first game of the day and ending two hours after the last one.
They NEED longer hours!  The should run it until 2AM during the CWS.
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Post by skinzfan23 »

Not sure if anyone posted this, but this is some info from the CWS website showing parking #'s for the games.

I attached the web address that has a map and a better chart.    

  Name                 Spaces        Session Pricing                                              Availability
                                              Afternoon     Evening/Single Game            Afternoon      Evening/Weekend

A OmahaPark Six              955    $16                $8                                      100                      750
B OmahaPark Seven          700    $16                $8                                         0                      700
C Greenhouse                     83    $10               $10                                         0                       83
D Park Eight                    1,280   $30               $15                                         0                   1,280
E Interstate One                 164   $16                 $8                                       50                      164
F Interstate Two                  129   $16                $8                                         0                      129
G Interstate Three               235   $16                $8                                      200                      235
H Music Hall                          88   $16                $8                                          0                        88
I OmahaPark Four               434   $10               $10                                      140                      200
J OmahaPark Five                454   $16                $8                                       200            **based on sales
K OmahaPark One               755   $16                $8                                        100                     700
L Heartland Park                  120   $30                $15                                       120                     120
M Lewis & Clark Landing       200   $30                 $15                                      200                     200

http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files ... ingmap.pdf
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Post by OmahaBen »

skinzfan23 wrote: L Heartland Park                  120   $30                $15                                       120                     120
M Lewis & Clark Landing       200   $30                 $15                                      200                     200
wait... they're going to charge for parking by Rick's Boatyard and under the 480 viaduct? I.e. places that are normally free to park? eff that.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

In response to this May 14 Public Pulse piece:
Future requires more parking

Over the past few years, downtown Omaha has returned itself to one of the metro’s best places to go on any night of the week.

One example was May 10, with Bob Seger at the Qwest Center and a renewed rivalry between Nebraska and Creighton at TD Ameritrade Park. These two events drew nearly 40,000 people to downtown Omaha.

However, the biggest question was not about a baseball game or a concert. It had to do with the constant headache of where to park in the areas surrounding these two venues. There is a simple solution, and, like the others, it is in downtown Omaha — the Civic Auditorium.

Unlike the others, it has seen its best days and it’s now time for a makeover. I don’t mean a refurbishing to help it last another 10 to 15 years; I’m talking about tearing it down and replacing it with a parking garage to serve the Omaha area for decades.

This garage could be run by the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority and incorporate a shuttle service to both venues and downtown Omaha. Let’s not think in the past, but to the future growth of downtown and its surrounding areas.

Rob F. Klug, Omaha

I wrote in:
Desire for more downtown parking rooted firmly in past

Rob F. Klug's opinion on downtown's future and the need for more parking (May 14th Public Pulse, entitled "Future requires more parking") is rooted firmly in the past.

Mr. Klug couldn't be more off base with regard to what will truly foster downtown Omaha's continued growth and vibrancy long into the 21st Century and beyond. His desire for more parking, which he proposes to achieve by tearing down the Civic Auditorium and replacing it with an automobile storage facility, is in line with the thinking of the past 60 years--the same thinking that has contributed, indeed, to the decline and "death" of many American center-cities.

Affirmed by the recently completed Downtown Master Plan, downtown should be urban. If there is one truth that the last half century has taught us, it's that creating mega-blocks, especially those with structures whose only use is automobile storage, creates massive "dead zones" in the urban fabric, detracting from street-level vibrancy and creating an unattractive, uninviting space for pedestrians.

Here's an idea for Mr. Klug; How about taking public transportation the next time he visits downtown for an event? Or, better yet, how about moving downtown, or at least closer to downtown, where an easy walk or bike ride could get him to the front door of the Qwest or TD Ameritrade Park without the headaches and hassles of worrying about parking.

That is the future of downtown Omaha, leading to further growth and vibrancy.

To quote Mr. Klug himself, "Let’s not think in the past, but to the future growth of downtown and its surrounding areas."

Aaron Detter
Albany, NY (an Omaha grad student in exile)
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

Did they print it?
Stable genius.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I just sent it today. We'll see.
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

I like it. Hopefully they'll print it.
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Post by mrdwhsr »

Good one Streets  :)
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Post by DTO Luv »

OmahaBen wrote:
skinzfan23 wrote: L Heartland Park                  120   $30                $15                                       120                     120
M Lewis & Clark Landing       200   $30                 $15                                      200                     200
wait... they're going to charge for parking by Rick's Boatyard and under the 480 viaduct? I.e. places that are normally free to park? eff that.
I guess the city took a page out of the Rosenblatt area residents parking playbook.

This is ridiculous that these garages are being wh0red out for the CWS and not any other time people are driving around looking for parking.
DTO
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I agree, D'Shawn.

Thanks, mrdwhsr and Titos. It hasn't shown up on the OWH website yet...
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Re: Parkageddon 2011

Post by iamjacobm »

Parkageddon 2014 style.

http://nebraskaradionetwork.com/2014/06 ... -in-omaha/
Those heading to the T-D Ameritrade ballpark today for the College World Series can expect some competition for that parking space later tonight. Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority Communication’s Director Kristi Anderson says they will try their best to accommodate everyone heading to the first championship game at TD Ameritrade Park and the Bruno Mars concert across the street at the Century Link Center. That show is a sell-out.
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Re: Parkageddon 2011

Post by Brad »

I went early and there were no traffic issues at 5:30.

That said, the ballpark never filled up all the way. Surprising for a Beautiful night and the Championship series.
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Re: Parkageddon 2011

Post by iamjacobm »

I didn't notice anymore than usual. I would guess the concert crowd was later arriving so they may have had more parking issues.
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Re: Parkageddon 2011

Post by skinzfan23 »

I thought the traffic after the events was a little worse, especially near 10th and Capitol. By far the worst thing of the night was the parking in the Landmark Center garage. The gates were broken and there were 5 levels of cars waiting to get out. I know some people I talked to had waited for around 2 hrs to get out. I got back to the garage around 11:20 and didn't exit until after 12:45. This is completely unacceptable, epecially when they are charging $7 to park there. Thankfully I have a badge so it is free for me. If it wouldn't have been for me and some guy who was holding the gate open to let 60-70 cars out we might still be waiting to leave. They need to staff this garage with people when there are event, because this isn't the first time this happened. Garages I have parked in in other cities always have people there when there are events. In this case there was one security guard and I felt so bad for him because he was trying everything he could.

By the way, what an amazing sight to see after the game and concert with all the people out on a Monday night. It really made Omaha feel like a huge city last night. Can't hurt the impression for first time visitors to the CWS and concert.
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Re: Parkageddon 2011

Post by GetUrban »

Brad wrote:I went early and there were no traffic issues at 5:30.

That said, the ballpark never filled up all the way.  Surprising for a Beautiful night and the Championship series.
I was really surprised and disappointed there were so many empty seats. I wonder if it was sold-out and there were that many no-shows. Maybe people assumed it was going to be too hot & muggy with very few hits or home runs. I wish I was there!

Regarding parking....I went to a Home Run Derby at TD a couple of years ago and it took about an hour just to exit the lot east of TD and north of Clink. Total gridlock. I think they only had one gate open. The way they (MECA) manage those lots is frustrating. Much better off just walking from NDT or even south of the OM.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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