Published: Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 7, 2012 at 10:19 p.m.
After last Sunday's Holiday Parade, drivers making an exodus from a downtown Wilmington parking deck caused a massive delay similar to an October parking bottleneck at the convention center.
Since Sunday's delay happened at a city-owned deck after a city-sponsored event, Wilmington officials are studying the problem to come up with solutions to get traffic out faster when events let out.
The back-up was so bad that Councilman Neil Anderson drove his father home for a couple of hours and later returned to retrieve his vehicle.
The delay was primarily at the city's Market Street parking deck between Front and Second streets, said City Manager Sterling Cheatham.
Sunday night, Cheatham eventually gave the order to raise the gates of the deck and let some drivers out without paying.
At Tuesday night's council meeting, Anderson apologized to people who came to the parade and had to endure long waits in the deck.
"We can do better, we will do better," Anderson said, though he did add, "It's still going to be a parking deck. You're not going to be able to get out instantly."
At a Monday morning council agenda briefing, Anderson said he worried that the experience badly portrayed the downtown area at a time when the city is supporting efforts such as "Bring It! Downtown," a marketing effort designed to lure residents and visitors alike to the downtown.
"We bring them downtown, and they're not coming back," he said.
The deck has booth attendants that accept cash and debit/credit cards, which can take up to one or two minutes to process. Though there have been some complaints of delays in the past, Cheatham did not remember anything of this magnitude.
"It's a congested area, typically, and it's magnified when you have that type of exit all at one time," he said.
In response to the delay, officials are examining what they could change. Options could include paying upon entry, an altered rate structure, changing exit routes and deploying police officers.
The matter could come before city council as early as next year.
In October, the Greater Wilmington Business Journal held an event at the convention center featuring the two candidates for governor. When it ended, more than 450 vehicles exiting the parking garage created a traffic jam. The line got so bad they threw open the gates, allowing about 200 drivers to exit for free.
On Tuesday, the center hosted a Good Friends event that drew nearly 800 people.
"There was not one backup," said Susan Eaton, the center's general manager.
Since the October parking issue, the center staff has changed its strategy for larger events. They now asses each event and place a special emphasis on parking while they are being planned. Before the Tuesday event, the center encouraged the group to suggest carpooling.
Guests who parked in the garage also were encouraged to pay at the information desk just inside the center. At the end, guests used a stamped card to exit the parking garage.
"This is not rocket science, but it can be challenging," Eaton said.
Julian March: 343-2099
On Twitter: @julian_march
Source: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20121208/articles/121209751
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