Arena Parking Challenge

[ignatius]

If you do happen to run into parking issues, park for free at 3rd/Grand MAX stop and take the bus.

[Gretz]

If you do happen to run into parking issues, park for free at 3rd/Grand MAX stop and take the bus.

Or park there for free, suck it up and walk the ten blocks, save youreself $1.25 and burn a few calories...

[Mr. Fantasy]

Parking seemed to be a non-issue when I drove down there right before the Elton John show 2 Saturdays ago, I just wanted to see how bad trafic was and it was NOTHING like rush hour.  I saw tons of parking people manning the entrances to each garage with visible signs as to the cost and so forth.

I was impressed.

I have noticed that the increased traffic on event nights takes away my fav parking space an night on 12th and Walnut...

I wish they'd hurry with that park so the additional spots on Walnut will reopen.

[anniewarbucks]

Is the parking south of Live free? I do not remember seeing any signs or ticket booths for those two lots Sunday.

[KCPowercat]

1 hour after the concert started tonight....no lines to get into the sprint center....Town Pavilion garage 1/2 full.  People are being cheap and parking for free...that's how much of a parking issue there is downtown. 

Glad to see people walking from a little further away and for cheaper....that will help all businesses.

[scooterj]

Is the parking south of Live free? I do not remember seeing any signs or ticket booths for those two lots Sunday.

They put up $5 Daily Rate signs a few days ago.

[DaveKCMO]

1 hour after the concert started tonight....no lines to get into the sprint center....Town Pavilion garage 1/2 full.  People are being cheap and parking for free...that's how much of a parking issue there is downtown. 

Glad to see people walking from a little further away and for cheaper....that will help all businesses.

i wonder if there were any long-term forecasts for parking revenue in the new garages? if so, will the continued cheapness of kansas citians affect that forecast?

[KC12]

Went to rascal flatts last night which was awesome. But parking was not a prolem, we parked in a little lot close to the convention center and paid 5$ and it was like a 2 block walk. Parking is not a problem whatsoever.

[ignatius]

Over 100,000 people work from downtown to Crown Center every day.  Most drive alone and park.

For events, most people drive in at least pairs.  A 15K-18K arena event only scratches the surface, maybe 10% of parking capacity at most.

Downtown parking could probably handle a sold out arena event, PAC event and baseball game at once.  Parking might be a tighter situation but it's probably doable, especially if more people used MAX.

[KCPowercat]

dave...good question for the P&L garages...not sure how full they were....that shouldnt be an issue for any existing garages (prior to p&l).  im sure the garages will be used more and more as it gets cold and people wise up.

[thesnowman21]

At the Elton John concert the town pavilion car park wasn't even full. There is no parking issue, it is just people who don't come downtown thinking there is.

[eliphar17]

Maybe some garages will get the hint soon and lower their prices? If a $10 garage is nearly empty while a $5 garage is full on the next block farther away, surely someone would notice and realize that KC just doesn't like paying more than $5 for parking, even if it is close. (No Arrowhead comments necessary.)

[staubio]

This morning, workers were repairing on of the exit gates at the H&R Block garage. I guess some Rascall Flatts fan didn't want to pay the $10.

[midtown guy]

I went down to NARA Friday night about the same time the Van Halen concert was going on.  5 blocks from the Sprint Center there was street parking and the Barkley Parking Garage (across from Bazookas) was charging $5 and had maybe 10 cars in it.  The concern about Sprint Center Parking seems so laughable...

[anniewarbucks]

I think that the parking issue for the crowds at the SC was so overrated. From what I could see, the new underground garages has placed at least 3 times the parking spaces than the old surface lots that occupied the same space before the new P&L district. Yes there were spaces lost in the space from Grand to Oak and from 13th to Truman with the construction of the SC. But I think overall the spaces lost VS spaces gained, Gained wins hands down.

[KC0KEK]

I had no problem finding parking for the VH concert. My only complaint was the lousy sound. It was the worst rock concert I've ever been to, hands down. Even the band -- particularly DLR -- was clearly pissed about the sound.

[KCMax]

I had no problem finding parking for the VH concert. My only complaint was the lousy sound. It was the worst rock concert I've ever been to, hands down. Even the band -- particularly DLR -- was clearly pissed about the sound.

Yea, I've read a lot of similar comments on the Star's website. What's the deal?

[DaveKCMO]

Yea, I've read a lot of similar comments on the Star's website. What's the deal?

paintman.

[KC0KEK]

Yea, I've read a lot of similar comments on the Star's website. What's the deal?

Not sure. Wasn't Rascal Flatts the night before? If so, maybe VH's crew was rushed and didn't have enough time to fine-tune. It also could be because it's a new building, and the SC folks don't have enough hands-on experience to give venue-specific tips.

It will be interesting to see whether the Garth Brooks concerts are better. Considering that they're over several nights, his crew should be able to do some things that a one-night act can't in terms of getting the sound right.

[anniewarbucks]

Before this splits off into another sub thread under Arena Construction, are the acoustics that bad in the SC? Are the curtains in the top lowered for concerts? It sounds like the sound is going up and over the back wall of the upper deck and echoing through the concourses. They should run tests to see if closing these curtains for a concert would help cut down the echoes.