No Parking 4pm-6pm or When Valets are Present.
Washington Avenue has seen a big transformation in just the last couple of years but the work to be done is far from over. Just as Gaslight Square burnt itself out in the late 60s, we run the risk of turning back the clock on progress if we are not careful.
In 2005 I began quest to get parking on Washington Ave. Partly because of my complaining (and that of others) the city relented and allowed parking on two blocks between 10th and 12th (aka Tucker). The exception was an hour in the morning and afternoon for the rush hour. When the first set of signs went up they indicated no parking from 7:30am to 8:30am and from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. What they didn’t say was Monday through Friday!
That last error has been corrected, the new signs indicate Monday-Friday for the morning and afternoon rush. But the new signs also indicate the “rush” has grown from an hour each to two hours each. Now no parking is allowed from 7am to 9am and from 4pm to 6pm. The city is getting aggressive about violators as well, they were towing cars on Friday afternoon. They wanted to keep traffic heading toward the closed Eads Bridge moving. Yes, the Eads Bridge was closed on Friday for a special event. So they towed cars to keep traffic moving to a bridge that was closed. Smart.
The times I’ve stood near 4th and Washington and watched the afternoon rush, such that it is, I’ve noticed few cars taking the Eads. About half during my observations have gone North toward I-70 or the King Bridge. For those taking the King to Illinois or I-70 westbound they should be directed from Washington Avenue to Cole street just to the north. It is much wider and has virtually no traffic.
Much of the afternoon “rush” on Washington is headed eastbound for the highway or Illinois, mostly coming from northbound Tucker, 11th or 8th. Signs directing these drivers to Cole, only a few blocks north, would be simple and effective. The intersection of Cole, Broadway, I-70 and the King Bridge is also much better set up to handle the volume of traffic than the intersection of Washington & I-70.
St. Louis Police are having about as much luck controlling the valet companies as they are the people parking on the street during the rush period. I recently saw a downtown officer removing the valet cones from the street in front of Copia during the rush.
What we risk is having block after block of little besides valet parking. Thankfully Pablo at Kitchen K hasn’t given into the valet madness. I think it is a good thing for people to park and walk. But, for those that can’t or won’t walk then reasonable valet service is OK. But, they continue to grab all the vacant spaces they can and then hold them for their own patrons.
The valet manager at Lucas Park Grille, owned at least in part by the McGowan’s, indicated their off-street parking lot is at 14th & Locust. He went on to indicate that is not the best area for client’s cars and too far for them to get back to 13th & Washington. Another time I talked with the same valet as they had coned off half the 1200 block of Washington across the street from Lucas Park Grille. It was a Monday night and the 6+ spaces they had reserved were empty yet folks were looking to park to patronize other businesses. That night he moved the cones off the street at my request.
Jim Suelmann, the city’s Director of Streets, has indicated to me the permits they issue are only for the pick-up and drop-off of customer’s cars. Yet, his department has issued permits for hundreds of feet and both sides of streets — surly they must realize these valet companies are holding spaces for primo cars.
Over on Olive near Compton at the former firehouse club (I forget the latest name) I’ve seen the valets place the cones in the bike lane on numerous occasions. Yes, in the middle of the bike lanes!!!!
Valets should be allotted 2-3 parking spaces for customers to bring in their cars or to pick them up. That is it. In Clayton you get two spaces per business. Period. Anymore is at the expense of other customers and other businesses. Eventually that will take its toll as Washington Avenue transforms into a valet-only street, taking the potential of street life with it.
On Washington east of Tucker a couple of things need to happen. First, they need to re-time the signals so you can actually get more than a block before hitting the next red light. Timing of lights was supposed to happen this year but I’ve not heard anything about this actually taking place. All evidence is that it has not happened. Next, drop the rush hour BS. We have no real rush hour, much less two hours. We certainly don’t need to restrict westbound traffic in the PM. Get the through traffic off Washington and onto Cole.
The next thing that needs to happen is extending the on-street parking from 10th down two more blocks to 8th. The block between 9th and 10th should be a no-brainer. On the south side you’ve got ballroom section of the convention hotel, almost always dead as hotel guests take an underground tunnel to get to the ballroom. But, in the corner of this building is the lovely furniture store called Niche. I’m sure they’d welcome parking for their clients. On the north side of the block is the Lammert building at 911 Washington. This building houses a number of offices as well as the retail bookstore of the American Institute of Architects. Next door at 901 Washington is the Banker’s Lofts by Pyramid. This building has a large first-floor commercial space that would benefit from convenient on-street parking.
In the block between 9th and 8th the situation is a bit different. With the drives for the convention center I don’t really envision parking on the north side of the street, although that might be a good place for the taxi stand. On the south side of the street the high-end restaurant, Kinko’s and Starbuck’s in the convention hotel could all benefit from on-street parking. A couple of 15 minute max spaces near the Starbuck’s would be great when I get a craving for a vanilla bean frappuccino.
So what would additional on-street parking along Washington Ave accomplish besides making life easier for about 25 motorists? Well, it would certainly give the impression of activity, something missing from these two blocks. As people exit the convention center heading back to their hotel they will be more likely to wonder westbound on Washington to see what is happening. Even if they go straight to their hotel, they will look down the street full of parked cars and leave St. Louis with a greater impression about the level of activity in the area. For those walking along the sidewalk the parked cars will created a comforting buffer between traffic and themselves. Consider this, with parking allowed on Washington west of 10th, except for the noted “rush” periods, what can be the argument for extending this two more blocks? Do 10th & 9th add lots of traffic to Washington? Not really.
Throughout downtown we are also missing numerous other opportunities for on-street parking that would have zero impact on traffic or bus stops, yet provide needed parking right at the door of local businesses. On 11th just before Washington are two potential spaces. On Convention Plaza between 9th and Tucker a good 30+ spaces. On Olive at between 11th and 10th at least 4-5 spaces. On 11th between Pine & Olive another 3-4 spaces could be had. In areas of high demand it would be wise for the city to do an evaluation of where on-street parking currently exists and where it could possibly be located (Hartford next to Commerce Bank comes to mind). As Larry Williams’ Treasurers office controls parking in the city it should fall to him to get this done. But he has been around for many years and it hasn’t happened under his direction.
We’ve spent too much money on streetscaping Washington Avenue to screw it up now with lack of on-street parking and excessive space handed over to valets.
– Steve
It seems to me that there are also sections of streets that could use more parking meters. I am talking about on 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, however I am sure some of the N/S streets could use them as well. When I am downtown, I always spot a small section, big enough to fit my boat of a Buick, yet there is no meter. I am always afraid of parking there, since I thought it was illegal to park without a meter.
If this is true, then we need to have more meters installed.
Regarding valets. A balance must be struck between the public usage of public streets, and the benefit that downtown receives from private business success due to “high” class extras such as valet parking. Many people might like valet parking, myself excluded, therefore they might choose an establishment downtown over one somewhere else, because of the valet service. We cannot remove valet service, and we also cannot allow valet companies to take up an entire landing strip, like I saw at the Chase Park Plaza some months ago. Large amounts of valet space not only creates parking problems for non-valet customers, but it also creates possible traffic accidents. I witnessed an accident on Lindell at the Chase, possibly caused due to the confusion of the Valet Service. Traffic was congesting, as West Bound Lindell was down to one lane, and a collision occurred.
The bottom line is that Valet service must continue, albeit limited to a small number of spaces. We also need more meters.
Dare I suggest demolition for parking garages? I hear that is a good solution 😉
I rode the #274x Paddock Hills Express to my mother-in-law’s house Friday night. Traffic was a huge mess downtown about 5:30!
Because of the Poplar Street Bridge construction, many people are taking the MLK to exit downtown eastbound. So Cole Street was gridlocked eastbound from I-70 back to 9th Street. Likewise the two right-turn lanes on northbound 9th from Washington to Cole.
Washington wasn’t as bad, true. But it still needs to be clear of parked cars eastbound at rush-hour, so at least there’s an alternate route for emergency vehicles if something happens at the MLK approaches, for example.
Our rush hour downtown is just as much eastbound as it is westbound! It’s also northbound and southbound, too.
Northbound 7th Street at Locust (where I boarded the bus) was really slow-going too, partly because most of the buses that normally operate on 4th or Washington were rerouted over there by Metro for most of the summer to try to cope with the traffic. Combined with the regularly scheduled buses there, the street was almost full of buses!
What is crazy, though, is that once the bus got north of Cole, it was smooth sailing on 9th and then onto I-70 westbound. Meanwhile, I-70 eastbound was backed up all the way to the East Taylor Avenue overpass, north of O’Fallon Park!
You couldn’t pay me enough to live in Illinois and drive to work in Missouri!
Steve:
You point out well the need for additional, reasonably-priced parking garages.
I hate the Lucas Park Grille valets. There is absolutely no need to take up the amount of public spaces that they do. I don’t understand how the city can grant them that much space, when that it public space. It should be made available to the public for parking at all times. I don’t have a problem with a landing area for valet, but taking up metered parking spaces (which go until 7 pm) at 5 pm is infuriating to those who live in the neighborhood, or those visiting friends in the neighborhood.
What makes that area tick now is not the businesses, it’s the people that have chosen to live there.
In my driving experience, whenever Washington is backed up, so is Cole. I was glad to see them finally start towing cars on Friday. The sign clearly says Tow Away Zone and No Parking between 4pm – 6pm M – F. Obey the law and you won’t get towed.
My other peeve about downtown traffic is the cars the pull into the intersection and get stuck at the light and then block the traffic for those with a green light. On game nights or other nights when it is obvious traffic will be a problem, I would love to see an officer ticketing cars blocking intersections.
Joe:
The subject of your latter point is something that upsets me too. In fact, this driving behavior is illegal. You are not to enter the intersection, unless you can clear the intersection. Same goes with those entering the intersection after the light turns yellow. I am by no means a good driver, but at least I try to be courteous to the others using the road. It’s about manners and civility.
Steve:
I hope your view for “activity” on the street retains some space for bus stops. Between right turn lanes, hotel bollards on Broadway, 4th, and all of the entrances to parking garages, Metro has to fight for every bus stop it can obtain. More recently, developers like the Old Post office crew, and several of the loft developers on Washington, Locust and Olive have tried to move bus stops to some other place because of “those people.”
If the Cardinals have their way there will be no bus stops southbound on Broadway between Chestnut and just south of I-64.
The pedestrian cycle for pedestrians are designed for cars, not pedestrians. Try to walk across any street on the “walk cycle”.
Well one of undesireable people, hanging around bus stops, include me. I ride my bike to and from my bus route every day. I create real street activity, bike and pedestrian. Its hard to feel that bus and bike riders are wanted in downtown. Putting in more parking on Washington may squeeze bikes more and more in the busy downtown lanes.
What I have noticed that kills street activity are the parking garages in virtually every building. It is amazing how many office buildings are also parking garages. It seems that so many of our downtown employees drive into downtown and nearly park at their desk and then drive out of town without every hitting the sidewalk.
When I ride to and from my bus stop, I might even spend money. But around the 6th and Washington Metrolink, you can’t find many places to spend your money. There are literally thousands of pedestrians often walking to and from the Convention Center on 7th or occasionally 6th. but that end of downtown is pretty shy for retail stuff for pedestrians anywhere.
If you are walking on 6th near Kiener Plaza, its better and also 7th near Pine and Chestnut is ok.
Lots of merchants think that traffic means business. I don’t think traffic results in any sales. Pedestrians result in sales and a few parking places will turn a few motorists into pedestrians. I think more sales will be generated by encouraging people to walk to and from parking garages on the street and to bus stops, Metrollnk Stations.
I am generally in agreement with a lot your urban perspectives. Please don’t forget transit including bus stops.
[REPLY – Thanks for your commentary John. I’m an advocate of both transit ridership and bicycling so I don’t seek to exclude either one.
Yes, parking garages and surface lots are the biggest killers to downtown activity. Getting people to park there and walk is a challenge. But part of the key to doing that is to make the sidewalks safe and interesting. Doing that requires on-street parking.
I for one want to see bike parking everyone. Some blocks now have one or two racks, while most have none. We need a rack for each and every business that fronts a sidewalk. At least a rack every 50-60 feet. Cyclists are one of the best creators of street life!
Bus stops are certainly an issue. And yes, I know the mentality that frowns upon bus riders. This speaks to the general perception of bus transit vs. rail transit. The numbers do show a difference in economics but I think we’ll start to see a growning number of transit-choice riders taking the bus.
I do not like all the physical curb space a bus takes away from on-street parking. I’m going to send the traffic engineers into a fit with this one —- I think the curb should be brought out to meet the traffic lane and the bus should stop to pick up and drop off passengers. This creates ends for the parking lanes, reduces the width for crossing the street and gives the bus stop more room than just along the sidewalk. Such a treatment may also help change the perception of the bus. It would, however, delay motorists. – SLP]
Thanks again Steve, for keeping these issues on the front-burner. I was preparing this week to write a letter to the Streets Dept. about just these issues. I am glad that they were at least enforcing their rules Friday. I missed that because I left work early, but most days the second lane that the City feels is so important for rush hour is useless anyway because most blocks have 1 or 2 cars parking illegally. What is even more crazy is that when there are no cars parked in the right-hand lane and traffic is backed up on eastbound Washington during evening rush, there are barely any cars using that lane anyway, because the overwhelming bulk of traffic is turning left at 4th Street. Do our traffic engineers ever actually observe the traffic patterns or do they just design a system using generic methods based on assumptions?
At least on Washington, which is only one lane each way without the parking lane, one can argue that the second lane could be useful in some situations. One pet peeve of mine is that the meters on very wide streets like Broadway and Tucker carry the same limits. On streets with 3 or more lanes, I almost never see drivers using the parking lane even when the street is gridlocked except for the occasional right-turn.
I visited Kitchen K last night and I got the chance to utilize the on street parking on Washington for the first time. I figured the valet parking would be ridiculous from reading your post, but seeing it first hand was something else. I can’t believe the City would allow Copia to take up several prime parking spaces, and of course they were all empty too save some orange cones.
I’d like to see the ordinance that allows Copia to steal an entire block of parking. I’d be tempted next time to move the cones so I could park there, I promise to feed the meter.