I would like to express my dismay at your decisions re downtown parking. I cannot believe you are planning to have 1000 parking spaces in downtown Guelph. Organize little electric buses to bring people downtown. Other cities are closing their downtown to cars (in enlightened countries, not in the U.S.) and you are planning to bring 1000 cars in a minute center to add, I suppose, to the on the street parking now existing. Have you heard about the necessity of greening our earth for the survival of your children and grandchildren? Maybe you hold no hopes for them. All this is beyond my comprehension. For whom will I be able to vote next? GM
Thank you for your comments, you are not alone in wondering about the apparent disconnect between building parking garages and our own environmental goals.
The decision to build two parking garages of about 500 cars each was not taken lightly. It was a necessity to maintain the competitive market position of the downtown in the current car dominated society. Our longer term goals are all aimed at decreasing urban sprawl and creating a city where higher density allows practical alternatives to car dependency.
Our present reality is that Guelph developed just like most North American cities, with a post war baby boom coupled with affordability of cars that allowed people to move to the outskirts of a city and commute to work for the first time. That legacy of urban sprawl is only now being reined in due to environmental issues becoming forefront because of people like you, resulting in political support for denser and greener cities.
Even so, it is a hard pattern to reverse – we’re trying to undo 60 years of home building in Guelph premised on automobile use. While our goal of creating a sustainable pedestrian and transit friendly city is underway we have to maintain the health of the downtown as it is now.
We also have an important goal to encourage more people to live downtown. There is currently a shortage of parking permits available in the downtown to meet existing residential needs. Building owners would like to convert more of their upper floors for housing but have trouble renting their existing apartments because they cannot secure a parking permit for their tenants.
Our challenge is that most trips in Guelph presently take place in cars. If we want people to come downtown we have to accommodate their vehicles. If lack of parking meant those same people would choose alternative means to get downtown, that would be ideal. However, at present, parking shortages means they will go somewhere else. Likely to a suburban location with surface parking – and that is the pattern we are trying to interrupt and prevent from growing.
Although these parking garages have been in the news lately, other ventures aimed at increasing the amount and quality of downtown amenities are also underway. The Baker Street complex includes a library and residences, we have plans for a Civic Square and a new museum to add to existing facilities. All of this is to increase the attraction to people, not cars.
The garages are to deal with present immediate problems and to keep downtown vibrant as we implement long term goals to create the increased density necessary to allow the examples of transit you see elsewhere.
Mayor Farbridge