Parking a priority for development

4/4/07
That Bridgeport has a number of promising possibilities for the site next to Harbor Yard is an unalloyed good thing. Easy access to the highway, and proximity to Long Island Sound and downtown make the potential development another promising step in the city’s rebirth. But some questions need to be answered before anything is settled, foremost among them: Where will everyone park?
The twin venues that attract the bulk of Bridgeport’s out-of-town visitors are home to baseball’s Bluefish and hockey’s Sound Tigers, and have welcomed other big draws in the past few years, among them Bruce Springsteen, the Who and NCAA tournament basketball. Too often, though, the adjacent parking garage has quickly filled, leaving patrons scrounging for alternatives. The site now in question has served as a backup lot, but even with cars there by the dozen on an event night, problems have persisted. Taking away those spots during construction promises further trouble.
When the band Nickelback played at the Arena last month, concert-goers complained of a lack of parking, little direction about alternatives and streets crowded with aimless drivers searching for relief. A few people said they missed the bulk of the concert because they couldn’t find a safe place to deposit their vehicle. It’s hard to believe this would be improved by removing parking spots.
To be fair, parking complaints overall have decreased in the past year, and the new plans call for as many as 400 new spots to be included at the development site to capture overrun from Ballpark and Arena events. The city must be sure those spaces are well marked and clearly visible — especially during construction there.
It’s of little benefit to the city if people come from out of town and leave frustrated because they spent half the night driving around like shoppers at the mall on Christmas Eve. As new development arrives, it’s important to remember that people have to get here somehow, and until some massive oil scare pushes the populace onto mass transit, parking spaces need to be a top priority.