Durham Herald Sun Logo

Downtown parking | Durham Herald Sun

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
    • Buy Photo
    • Newsletters
    • Archives

  • Business
    • All Entertainment
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Movies/TV
    • Friday Calendar
    • Submit a Friday Calendar event
    • Puzzles & Games
    • All Living
    • Faith
    • Food
    • Home & Garden
    • Celebrations
    • Local
    • Crime
    • Durham County
    • Orange County
    • Chatham County
    • Education
    • Weather
    • Carolinas News
    • North Carolina
    • National News
    • World News
    • All News
    • Submit a News Tip
    • All Sports
    • NCCU
    • Duke
    • NCSU
    • UNC
    • Durham Bulls
    • High School Sports
    • Auto Racing
  • Obituaries
    • All Opinion
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit A Letter
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Elections

  • Advertise With Us
    • Classified Ads
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Place a Classifieds

Letters to the Editor

Downtown parking

Parking in downtown Durham was a concern well before meters were installed and residential and hotel construction began. Now it is an immediate, practical problem for downtown businesses. The waiting list for leased spaces is hundreds of individuals long. The Center for Senior Life reports “10 percent reduction in use” and Bull City Brewery and Pompieri Pizza have seen “15 to 20 percent decreases compared to the year before.”

Correlation is not causation, but concerns like these prompted a PAC5 meeting to “Facilitate Acute Parking Shortage Discussion.” However, solutions presented by Parking and Transportation representatives, like deactivating underperforming meters and allowing longer time limits for metered spots, were band-aid solutions when a surgical procedure is needed. And tentative plans for new parking garages or increasing use of public transit are too distant to have any meaningful near-term impact.

Objectively speaking, Durham has enough supply of spots to serve downtown parking needs. The problem is how they are allocated, and this is where no solutions were presented.

So here are three:

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Herald Sun

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

1. Require construction workers to park in and be shuttled from remote lots. They have a predictable schedule and work in the same location.

2. Facilitate leasing agreements between downtown businesses and hotels. Hotel lots sit empty during the workday.

3. Use funds collected from parking meters to host a design contest to solve the allocation problem. Talented people are directly affected by this problem.

We aren't the first city to face this pressing issue. We can figure it out.

Brandon Dorn

Durham

  Comments  

Videos

UNC’s Roy Williams reacts to rumor that former President Obama might attend Duke-Carolina game

UNC’s Roy Williams on recruiting and now facing Duke’s Zion Williamson

View More Video

Trending Stories

Bladen County operative ‘told us what we were to say’ at hearing, worker testifies

February 18, 2019 06:00 AM

Gene therapy company doubles plans for RTP jobs after receiving incentives

February 18, 2019 12:14 PM

Black Durham ready to ride on the light rail

February 17, 2019 01:00 AM

Operative at center of NC election fraud hearing won’t testify

February 18, 2019 02:16 PM

Suspected thief is beaten by store employees until his pulse stopped, NC cops say

February 17, 2019 02:37 PM
Tweets by TheHerald_Sun

Read Next

2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

Opinion

2/18 Letters: This isn’t the national emergency we should be worrying about.

By Staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 17, 2019 12:00 AM

Why can’t President Trump focus on actual threats?

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Herald Sun

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

Opinion

2/15 Letters: As Durham taxes rise, GOP is silent

February 14, 2019 07:16 PM
2/14 letters: Rep. Walter Jones was a leader for peace

Opinion

2/14 letters: Rep. Walter Jones was a leader for peace

February 13, 2019 07:54 PM
2/13 Letters: State Health Plan should put people before politics

Opinion

2/13 Letters: State Health Plan should put people before politics

February 13, 2019 12:00 AM
2/12 Letters: Vernetta Alston should have been welcomed to my campus.

Opinion

2/12 Letters: Vernetta Alston should have been welcomed to my campus.

February 12, 2019 12:00 AM
2/11 Letters: Does the punishment really fit the crime for VA elected officials?

Opinion

2/11 Letters: Does the punishment really fit the crime for VA elected officials?

February 11, 2019 12:00 AM

Opinion

Arrest those who hire illegal immigrants

February 10, 2019 12:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Durham Herald Sun App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Advertise with Us
  • Place a Classifieds
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story