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As promised I checked out the parking situation Friday night at the ballpark. Good news is the public street parking on the east side of Willow Street (by the Municipal League) is no longer blocked off with cones. Only the spots on the west side were blocked off for valet parking for Valentines Restaurant. These spots are most likely at least partially on the ballpark property. As a result of publication on this site, the Arkansas Times and the Dem/Gaz, the public has at least 12-15 more free parking spaces near the ballpark.
The bad news is that Valentine's is using the loading zone on Broadway for long term valet parking, since they no longer have enough spaces on Willow Street This is sad since this is the only area along Broadway where people can pull out of the traffic lanes and unload. While I was taking pictures I saw at least one van stop in the right traffic lane on Broadway and unload four people, because the unloading zone was full of these cars. This is also the only unloading area with a handicap wheelchair ramp around the ballpark with off street access where handicapped people can unload. See the picture below for the loading zone at about 7:15 pm Friday night,
About an hour later at or about 8:15, notice the same cars. The blue sports car is barely visible between the SUV's in these pictures.
This is happening right next to the Valentine's valet stand and just outside the front door of Valentine's Restaurant. There was also no homeless parking lot attendants to be seen. I did hear the valet directing a person to park in the last spot along Broadway at arounf 7:15. This was NOT a temporay situation, with the cars backed up waiting for the valets. I have more pictures during the evening with the same cars filling the loading zone and the full valet parking area along Willow. Even later I have pictures with valet spots on Willow available and and the same cars still not being moved.
Let's not just make excuses or look for other ways to game the ordinary citizen or handicapped. How about someone just make a deal with a business on private property for the Valentine's valet parking, so the citizens and handicapped can park and unload in the spaces they paid for and need? Isn't this what a private business would have to do?
Offensive
Written by Old Roi Polloi, on 04-05-2008 00:09
It bothers me that Valentine's took public parking spaces on Willow Street and denied having done so (blamed it on a homeless man) when one of their uniformed employees was manning the enterprise. The denial was ridiculous. Now we learn the restaurant is using the handicapped access / unloading zone for long-term parking for their guests. What's next??? I'm glad there's a nice restaurant at the ballpark, and I hope it prospers, but I resent the liberties they are taking on public turf. If the City extends these favors to Valentine's it should extend the same favors to every other business. And I don't like it one bit that an illegal parking operation was blamed on a homeless man. They should apologize. |
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