Can downtown parking keep up with all the people heading there?

(3/30/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- It's the hot new place to be seen for many Houstonians, but with that popularity, comes some age-old problems. Will Houston's downtown be able to keep up?

The good news is that downtown Houston is getting more and more vibrant every day. The bad news is that with the growth comes growing pains. And that pain includes a perceived and problematic lack of parking. For anyone who's been downtown once or a thousand times, you know parking can be tough.

"It's very hard and inconvenient," said downtown driver Barbara Clark. "By the time you get where you're going, you're all sweaty and stinky."

"It's pretty crowded," agreed downtown driver Colin Amann. "It's hard to find and you've got to walk a fair piece to get to where you're going."

There are roughly 100,000 parking spaces downtown -- 4,000 to 5,000 of them are along the streets. But that's little consolation when you're looking for that one open spot.

That's why the old Bank One building will be rehabbed with four stories of parking inside and why there'll be underground parking underneath the new planned park outside the convention center. But it's still a challenge.

"It is horrible," said downtown driver Melissa Allen of the parking situation there. "Because you have to get here two hours early just to find a place to park."

And in front of the courthouse complex, it could get worse even after construction is finished. One lot is about to go away, meaning roughly 200 fewer spots in favor of a new park in what is one of the busiest area of downtown.

"We're looking at being able to increase the number of on-street spaces," said Liliana Rambo with the city of Houston. "We're working with the public works department."

The city is also holding town meetings to coach suburbanites where to park when they come downtown and that if they can walk a couple of blocks, they'll find a reasonable space, despite the constant desire to find something closer.

"If you go to the grocery store, I am almost positive and I know I do," said Bob Eury with the Downtown District. "I will always drive up to the front door. And then I will drive away from the front door to find a place to put my car."

The city is also working on changing parking meters for the better. Their advice is to be patient. Be prepared to walk. And get to where you're going early just in case.

Houston city council recently created the state's first citizen-led volunteer public parking commission. It consists of nine mayor-appointed regular members and six other members.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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