Nov

25

Big City Parking 101

November 25, 2008 | 4 Comments

Like a patient recovering from a stroke who has to re-learn how to walk and talk, Kansas Citians recovering decades without much of a Downtown now have to re-learn how to live and play in a big city. The mediagasm of the moment involves stories from KCTV-5 and the KC Star about predatory towing companies targeting illegal parkers Downtown, especially people patronizing the Power & Light District and Sprint Center.

While $400 towing charges are something the city surely needs to crack down on, folks can avoid the whole problem by using some common sense.  There are more than 40,000 parking spaces in the Loop, more than enough for everyone going to see Coldplay.

Here is a syllabus for Big City Parking 101, a class ought to be taught at Communiversity:

1. Don’t park in private lots. Off street surface lots dedicated to a private business or apartment building are generally off limits.

2. Use one of the garages. There is one directly  under the Power & Light District, across the street from the arena.  Many more garages line Grand and Main.

3. Surface lots. The parking lots that are open to the public will say “public parking” and will be charging money.  There will either be an attendant, or a pay box where you put your money into the slot that corresponds with your parking space.

4. Park on the street. There is abundant street parking to the north and south of the arena, especially across the Loop in the Crossroads. Parking meters are not enforced after 6:00 p.m.

5. There is no free off-street parking. This is a big city, and you should expect to pay for parking. If you think you have found a free parking lot, don’t be upset if it comes with a $400 towing bill.

Categories: Downtown


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. Shay on November 25, 2008 10:23 am

    Oh, come on – don’t tell P&L-goers about my secret parking spots in the Crossroads. :-) If you’re healthy enough to walk a few blocks, that’s prime territory there!

  2. Emily on November 25, 2008 11:26 am

    I agree that communiversity should teach a class on this.

    Another option that the “mediagasm” overlooks is public transit. I find the easiest way to get to the P&L district is to take the bus. The 57 drops off right in front of my favorite bar, the Max drops off close to the Sprint Center, etc. If you can find free parking outside the district (at City Market? Crossroads? Crown Center?), a bus fare of $1.25 seems like a small price to pay for getting a ride in to where you want to be. And riding the bus is a great way to get to know the city. Acknowledging the public transit that we do have will be another important step as we as a city shift from shopping mall mentality to urban district mentality.

  3. John Hoff on November 28, 2008 7:18 pm

    Predatory towing is a reality. It comes from towing companies taking advantage of citizens and towing their cars to shake down money. Don’t blame it all on naive citizens when there are sharks out there genuinely trying to take advantage of citizens. You can check out my blog, http://www.towingutopia.com, for more info on this emerging social issue.

  4. Casey on November 30, 2008 7:34 pm

    Point 5 cannot be stressed enough. I’m tired of hearing complaints about this. Kansas City needs to get over it.

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