I am beginning to shift in my opinion about the waterfront. No, I'm not jockeying for that ethereal official blogger position that never materialized (unless Salemi pulled a fast one) - I mean the NRA lots.
In doing research for the post about 'free' parking, I saw plenty of images of parking garages. It was not the garages themselves that caught my attention, it was the slimy, oily residue left in each parking space in the garages.
In two places in each spot (one for pulling into a space forwards and one for people who backed in).
I know this has been an issue at our waterfront lots - leaky cars.
In any case, I would hate to see that whole area paved over, even if "paving the parking lot leads to paradise." (That quote, or something very like it, has been attributed to our mayor, although I've never heard him say it.)
I just read (here) that one pint of oil can contaminate an area larger than a football field. Considering that cars spend, on average, 95% of the time parked somewhere or the other, that's rather alarming.
Paving does not stop this, by the way. It just runs off with the rain, usually right into the nearest storm drain.
Americans spill 180 million gallons of used oil each year into our waters. (I got that here.)
So if the choice is ONLY between park and parking, I guess I'd have to lean towards park at this point (Good God, she's reversed her opinion!).
But I still think there has to be an alternative. It's probably too much to expect that people will keep their cars in good repair and get leaks fixed, so .... *gulp*
Maybe we can make our own little Greenfield Village (with the focus on ships, not cars, of course). This is a very popular destination in Detroit.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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4 comments:
Is anyone taking into consideration the soon-to-be mad rush for plug-in electric or hybrid vehicles, e.g. the Chevy Volt projected to enter the market in 2010?
Where can people plug in their cars? Nancy Colbert is on top of LEED-certified building standards, but who's tasked with parking facilities whether garages or lots?
And, on garages: I object to the idea of a parking garage at the riverfront for one primary reason: aesthetics. If a parking garage can be built to resemble the new LEED-certified structure in Santa Monica, that might be something worth looking at...and could potentially blend in with the creative economy charm of the city.
Ari, Who said anything about a parking garage on the waterfront? That's a terrible idea!
And about the Volt - prob'ly not. Engine to be built in Flint, btw.
Wow - Greenfield Village looks like a fantastic place!
I actually only went there once, but I remember it being quite fascinating.
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