Friday, January 11, 2008
White Elephant Gets Its Tusks Polished
The Port Authority’s 2,200 space South Hills garage—the largest garage in the region—finally got a boost when a neighboring free surface lot was sold by the Authority for development. Whereas the garage had been about 20 to 25% utilized while the lot was routinely full, the closure of the lot has pushed up the capacity of the garage. One recent count even put the garage at 50% capacity. Break out the bubbly!
Of course, the official PAT line is that “they are not forcing people to use the garage”, but it is clear to anyone that is the case. While some commuters might go to other free park-and-ride lots nearby or closer on the line or try their chances parking in on-street spots, most of them have likely accepted the fee to park in the garage. Indeed, while PAT is “happy to see our customers choosing to use it”, those that have parked there probably view it as the path of least resistance.
Based on the capital cost of $21 million, those 1,014 cars using the garage a recent Monday had a capital cost per car of over $20,000. But take heart that over 90 percent of the funding came from the Federal and state governments, money that probably would have gone somewhere else had the garage not been built. Sound eerily familiar to the rationale of the North Shore Connector?
Of course, the official PAT line is that “they are not forcing people to use the garage”, but it is clear to anyone that is the case. While some commuters might go to other free park-and-ride lots nearby or closer on the line or try their chances parking in on-street spots, most of them have likely accepted the fee to park in the garage. Indeed, while PAT is “happy to see our customers choosing to use it”, those that have parked there probably view it as the path of least resistance.
Based on the capital cost of $21 million, those 1,014 cars using the garage a recent Monday had a capital cost per car of over $20,000. But take heart that over 90 percent of the funding came from the Federal and state governments, money that probably would have gone somewhere else had the garage not been built. Sound eerily familiar to the rationale of the North Shore Connector?
Comments:
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At least they sold the surface lot. Why would anyone have parked in the garage when they could have parked in the surface lot for free?
Obviously, 50% capacity as a 100% improvement over the previous 25% capacity. Sure, the capacity can and should be higher, but having a guaranteed place to park at SHV ensures that the Port Authority gets plenty of Zone 2 customers at the station.
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Obviously, 50% capacity as a 100% improvement over the previous 25% capacity. Sure, the capacity can and should be higher, but having a guaranteed place to park at SHV ensures that the Port Authority gets plenty of Zone 2 customers at the station.
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