 |
| Marlins Stadium Parking |
Like nobody saw this coming...
For fans driving to the ballpark Wednesday night, a wreck on the Dolphin Expressway was only half the headache. For the first time since the complex was unveiled last weekend, fans came to grips with the reality of a 37,000-seat venue with fewer than 6,000 on-site parking spots.Who in their right might could ever believe that 6,000 parking spaces was enough for a stadium that holds 37,000 when Joe Robbie [yeah, I still call it that] has over 24,000 parking spots? Yes, it has twice the capacity. So let's divide by two, boys and girls, and you still find that the new stadium still has half the parking capacity, relatively speaking, that Joe Robbie does.
The result: an hour-long scavenger hunt to find remote lots, and the hassle of snagging a seat on one of the city’s brand-new trolleys.
[...]
Until then, be prepared to see market forces in action as you draw near the ballpark, and ask yourself: Do I want to park on this lawn for $10 or one a block closer for $15? Anyone who attended Dolphin or Hurricane games at the Orange Bowl will know the drill
It blows my mind that, looking at the comments at my recent post on the new stadium, it seems like folks are totally okay with this. In fact, fans may even be looking forward to it.
Which makes me think that, indeed, Marlins President David Samson has got us nailed.
******
The Miami Herald's Fabiola Santiago is feeling the same way I am.
.
16 comments:
Since I was one of the commentors on that previous post, let me chime in here. What I said there was that there are garage parking passes available if you buy in advance, and I still don't see how it's better to park a mile away from the stadium at Joe Robbie (in an approved lot) for $20 versus parking on someone's lawn half a mile away for $20.
Also, don't look now, but you might have it wrong on David Sampson. The guy is not the most sympathetic figure, but he didn't say we're stupid in Miami.
If you look at how their games have been attended the past several years you'd probably assume 6,000 parking spots was plenty.
"We’re not the smartest people in Miami."
That's what he said. I'm not sure how you're able to spin that but I'm all ears, Allen.
I know you don't literally mean "a mile" at Joe Robbie because it isn't but, yeah, I'd much rather park in an "approved" lot. Where are there private lawns closer than the "approved lots" at Joe Robbie???????
If we're going by hard attendance figures, the neighborhood 7-11 lot could have been rented out and the stadium builders could have saved a whole bunch of money.
.
6,000 spaces should cover the vast majority of weekday games. I thought all you lily-livered liberals would love the implicit incentives towards mass transit, bicycles, walking, and other "green" alternatives (i.e. canoes, winged flight, teleportation).
Jeebus, I'm starting to think all you people like to do is complain.
Get ready for the spin Rick. I'm gonna spin you around a full 0 degrees. http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/09/2683844/video-shows-disparaging-comments.html.
Watch the video if you don't believe the Herald. The money quote: "and that’s not saying we’re not the smartest people in Miami,"
By the way, the paper that reported the original story says they'll print a retraction in a couple days.
Now, you want to complain about the stadium as a boondoggle of public finances, go ahead, it is. But as far as the parking goes, nonee's got it right, and in case you were curious, for the parking, you see the paved lot all the way to the right? That's an approved lot: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=joe+robbie+stadium&hl=en&ll=25.95789,-80.239162&spn=0.013023,0.022724&sll=25.725359,-80.331553&sspn=0.013048,0.022724&hq=joe+robbie+stadium&t=h&z=16.
It's farther than any house you would probably park in. Here's the Marlins stadium zoomed in to the same level. I never parked that far even for UM FSU games that were packed. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=marlins+ballpark&hl=en&ll=25.777711,-80.219336&spn=0.013043,0.022724&sll=25.725359,-80.331553&sspn=0.013048,0.022724&hq=marlins+ballpark&t=h&z=16
Keep in mind that most people don't drive to a baseball game solo. So 6000 spaces may actually mean 10,000 or more people.
Plus, of course there were/are bound to be kinks to be worked out.
At Joe Robbie last year when UM played FSU we got to the entrance ramp of the stadium an hour before game time yet ended up missing most of the 1st quarter because of the number of 1st time attendees who weren't familiar with the parking patterns.
And I've said it before on other posts, there used to be a stadium on the same site that held double the number of seats. We found a way to make it work and have a good time at the games.
Samson is right. Politicians here are incompetent. The people here are incompetent for voting for them. This deal never should've been approved. But I enjoy baseball and now that there's a stadium near me I'm going to go enjoy myself at some games.
The new, free City of Miami Trolley goes from Civic Center metro rail to the stadium ... http://www.miamigov.com/trolley/mdStadium.html
Also you can take the metro rail to Vizcaya station and do the #17 bus or take metro rail to civic center and do 12 S to the 7. Tons of people use metro rail for Heat games and concerts at the AAA. Hopefully they'll follow suit for the new stadium even though it requires a bus ride if you're connecting with metro rail.
Maria, the trolley drives on the same road as regular car traffic. How is that a good option? You could probably walk to the stadium faster than you could take the trolley in rush hour traffic during the week for a 7:05pm start to a game. Same thing with a bus. Comparing traveling to a Marlins game at the new location to taking the Metrorail to a Heat game is an apples to beef jerky comparison.
South Florida people would rather park in yards and not lots? Why doesn't that surprise me? classy, like miami!
Anon likes a good ballgame from the luxury box, with the chardonnay. Hint: the guy on the field dressed in pants doesn't get his turn to bat.
I guess that's what I get for not keeping up to date on the story and trusting that Miami Today has competent reporters.
We'll see about the parking spaces, I guess. People are already complaining, according to the article, and regular season hasn't even begun.
And I still say that I would rather walk an extra 1/2 mile than park in someone's front yard. But that's just the Broward County in me, I suppose.
.
Actually, Allen is wrong.
Reached late Thursday afternoon, Lewis told CBS4 News they were now reviewing the video from the Beacon Council. He admitted the reference to “we’re not the smartest people in Miami” was not complete and out of context. He said he planned to issue a correction in next week’s paper.
Correction on that one quote. Not a retraction.
It's cheaper.
SteveBM, no doubt using MDC public transportation is a pain in the ass, but my point is that there *are* public transportation options that do not require parking, which Rick doesn't mention in his post. Personally, I'd rather spend an hour on the train/trolley than an hour in my car and having to pay for parking & gas. It is indeed a real pity this stadium wasn't built close to a metro rail stop. My point was that people do opt out of parking issues when they have the train option.
*PS parking at metro rail is $4 plus the cost of the ride -- still cheaper than parking in Pepe's front lawn.
Post a Comment
Spam, vulgar language, trolling and off-topic comments are not tolerated at SFDB and your comment will be removed if it meets this criteria.