Good article in the Messenger about how cramped parking has become with the growth to 24,000 students this year. Vedder claims the campus was designed to handle only 15,000 to 18,000 students and lack of spaces has become a quality of life issue. On a different topic one new faculty member chimed in about needing high rise condos in Athens ASAP.

http://www.athensmessenger.com/news/students-faculty-stru...

a "per use" and "leasing spaces" are a given if the University would build one. And I would agree with Vedder on the quality of life issue and would add that the current situation and rules is a draw back to visitors of campus, and far too many people have a negative experience.

Wait... Why is Vedder involved in this? Parking? Isn't he retired? Is he just the go-to curmudgeon now?

How did they know to contact him about this? How did they know he was teaching?

Hmmmmm.....

Oh well, poor guy has to walk a few blocks up hill. The calamity!

I think this is a non-starter.

Firstly, and less to my major point, I think it's worth pointing out the master plan for Ohio University's Athens' campus has a major shift of parking towards the outer rim of campus (specifically South Green with old dorms going down and new dorms being built "inwards")

My main point though is that parking should not be a major focus/concern for this school. We're blessed with an incredibly walkable campus. Further, we're seeing a MASSIVE demographic shift away from future college generations owning cars. In five years, a huge increased % of students will just be using Uber or maybe even a driverless Uber to get around rather than a car that needs parked. That same demographic shift makes the fuss about parking Uptown equally dumb. Get with the times.

Damn.....I always felt that OCF was the go-to curmudgeon!

+1

oldkatz just drives his Vietnam-Era APC, bulldozes cars out of the way, and doesn't worry about a thing. His response to the Athens parking problem: "What me worry?" ;-)

Most of the projects I work on are in "suburban" North Jersey.
There aren't a lot of mass transit options,unless you work in NYC ,that makes parking critical.

Residential projects must meet State standards for parking.
For a "high rise" residential building its .9 spaces per unit for a 1 bedroom and 1.3 spaces per unit a 2 bedroom.

That number is pretty much set in stone.
The local approving Board cannot reduce it.
Any reduction in parking has to be approved by the State.

Mixed use buildings aren't subject to the same requirements.Most towns I work in require a minimum of 2 spaces per unit.
The one thing they do allow is some "shared" parking,where some spaces are used by the commercial/retail uses by day and residents at night.

Office buildings are required to have 1 space per 225 square feet of gross floor area.Office complexes also do shared parking with other uses like theaters.

Cities like Trenton,Paterson,Newark,Morristown used to be more lax on parking,relying on private lots and/or garages,but lately most of the redevelopment projects there have several floors of parking.
Then again,in Paterson,Newark or Camden no one wants to walk from a building to a parking lot once it gets dark.

I presume driverless cars would have to be programmed to obey all traffic laws,including speed limits.

That's gonna increase a user's travel time a lot,especially if they're going on Interstates.From my experience,the posted speed limit is pretty informational only.

Interesting question.
If, for some reason, a driveless car does get pulled over,for something like a broken taillight,who gets the ticket ?

I agree that the overall trend is away from personally owned automobiles. Car ownership is already seen as a liability in dense cities, and it is not hard to foresee things like Zipcar, Uber, cycling, and public transit rendering car ownership a lot less appealing for students in Athens. It may take a while to come to the point of dramatic change, but I definitely agree with Optimist that reshaping the campus for even more cars is foolish.

True. Another challenge: How do you handle transient traffic--out of towners who are visiting for business/pleasure? Are they taking public transportation to Athens and then Uber-ing around town? Sounds miserable.

Bingo. Case in point, go to the mall where there are lots of spaces and watch people circle and circle for the closest spot possible even on a sunny day. The only parking problem is those who want to park in the front door of the store/business they are visiting. Athens doesn't really have a parking problem, they have a space management issue. I wrote an article for the Messenger on this a few years back so I'll see if I can find it and post.

A lot of good ideas in this thread more than what are presented in the article. There is a push to manage traffic to perimeter of campus where its the longest possible walk from the campus core. I don't know about everyday but if they could push the game day traffic down Richland and into the Dairy Barn area? That's how its done at highly attended athletic events they park cars everywhere there is an inch of grass. OU Inn is down there where parking happens for those staying at the hotel. Carryout across the street that can party supply. University had a policy to put RV's up on the Ridges yet they want to direct cars over to Stimpson Ave.

I can't understand people who 1. Don't believe driverless technology is coming soon. 2. Aren't excited as hell about it.

I've long been fascinated by this topic. My eldest kid is 9, my hope is driverless technology is fairly prevalent by the time he is 16. I personally think we are right on track.

I don't think people realize the endless benefits of this. Car manufacturers recognize the positives are so deep and rich that they are pouring billions into it. We lose hundreds of thousands of people to auto accidents every year.

The challenge will be clearing the hurdle of flat earthers...the same people who resist Nuclear power over Coal because it is scary, even though it is infinitely better and safer...or resist GMO crop technology even though it has been proven 1,000 times over to be safer and healthier while saving millions of lives from starvation....or worst of all, the anti-vax crowd. You can say you don't trust computers to our driving, but think about what you're saying.

Computers don't text, they don't fall asleep, they don't drink alcohol or do drugs or have seizures or heart attacks. They are trained and tested extensively before being put into action, while people sit thru some classes and are observed driving for 10 minutes before being thrown onto the road. The technology will save endless lives and heartache. They have backup plans and contingencies galore. Computers are also infinitely more efficient than humans. The same traffic jam with a road full of humans could be doubled and not have a single slow down with a road full of computers. They'll also be significantly better for the environment.

It will eliminate one of the most prevalent sources of stress in the world. Car ownership and operation is a drag in every sense. Imagine your 2 car garage becomes a nice big storage shed. Imagine you have a monthly payment for car service instead of the stress and ups and downs of insurance, service, gas & car payments.

The development opportunities in the city will be endless. Imagine if all the parking garages in downtown Chicago go away, the possibilities for that real estate are endless.

The handicap, elderly, young, etc would benefit greatly. The regulation and licensing would fall on the car companies and freed from the individuals.

I could go own. It runs much deeper than just being able to catch a nap or knock out some work during your commute, which yes would be awesome. Just because we can't fully understand how it will all work doesn't make it impossible. I know it is hard to let go of all the great memories operating a vehicle and thinking we could live in a world without it, but I whole heartedly believe nearly everyone on this board will experience this world (insert joke about various old poster here), and I think it will make the world a much happier place.