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Car Illegally Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant

January 26, 2016 Downtown, Featured, Parking 1 Comment

On the way to the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse a couple of weeks ago I stopped to photograph a car illegally parked on 11th Street at Market St.

Ford has a spotlight but regular Missouri plates. Click image to view the non-space on Google Street View
Ford has a spotlight but regular Missouri plates. Click image to view the non-space on Google Street View

This location on 11th Street is next to the Carnahan Courthouse:

The Carnahan Courthouse is the former federal courthouse building located at 1100-1114 Market Street in St. Louis. The Carnahan Courthouse provides office space and facilities for the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri. Additionally, the Carnahan Courthouse provides office space for the City of St. Louis Sheriff’s Department, the City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney, the City of St. Louis Circuit Clerk, the City of St. Louis Public Defender, the City of St. Louis Personnel Department, the City of St. Louis Internal Audit Department, and other City offices.

Many vehicles that park around the courthouse belong to those doing business inside. We have many spots downtown where parking isn’t allowed but it probably should be. But there’s no excuse for parking in front of a fire hydrant.

I’ll send a link to this post, as well as the plate number, to various officials. Hopefully parking enforcement isn’t afraid to ticket court officials who block fire hydrants.

— Steve Patterson

 

New Parking Payment Stations Finally Added To South Side of 11xx Block of Locust Street

Scaffolding next to the condemned parking garage at Tucker & Locust prevented the adjacent parking meters on the South side of Locust Street from being upgraded with the rest of downtown. Until last week, the old meters remained on the South side of Locust between 11th & Tucker (12th). The North side got new individual meters last year.

New multi-space pay stations were installed on January 12th
New multi-space pay stations were installed on January 12th
The meters just before Tucker had long been blocked by scaffolding for the condemned parking garage, but the scaffolding came down in November
The meters just before Tucker had long been blocked by scaffolding for the condemned parking garage, but the scaffolding came down in November
A few days later the old meters were gone, the new pay stations unwrapped. Locking a bike here may be a challenge given the proximity to the new pay station.
A few days later the old meters were gone, the new pay stations unwrapped. Locking a bike here may be a challenge given the proximity to the new pay station.

The other side of the street has new individual meters, not the multi-space pay stations added to the South. This is far from the only block that has both individual meters and multi-space pay stations. I guess having lots of one-way streets and streets that are closed for a block wasn’t confusing enough — now we have two different types of electronic payment machines to understand.

— Steve Patterson

 

Court Documents Shed Some Light On Condemned Parking Garage

January 12, 2016 Downtown, Featured, Parking 2 Comments

For over a year I’ve been posting about the now-condemned parking garage at Tucker & Locust, it closed in the summer of 2014 for structural repairs:

On March 9, 2015 CENTRAL PARKING SYSTEM OF MO, LLC sued TUCKER PARKING HOLDINGS LLC & TUCKER PARKING EQUITIES LLC, the two entities that own the garage, Case 1522-CC00532.  That same day Tucker et al countersued.

Later that month the court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to prevent contractor Tarlton from removing the shoring and rented equipment with Tucker et al to pay invoices. “Rental, monitoring, and other shoring related expenses” for April 2015 through October 2015 totaled $894,479. Tucker et al didn’t pay and in November the exterior scaffolding was removed, the interior shoring remains to date.

December 2014
December 2014

Last month the court issued a judgment against Tucker et al for the original amount plus an additional $11k in interest for a total of $905,507.05. It’s unclear to me if Tarlton has been fully paid for their more labor-intensive work from July 2014 through March 2015. Regardless, if paid, it was likely in excess of $2,000,000.  Just before the judgment the city filed a motion to intervene, but withdrew it four days later.

Early this month a hearing for February 16th was cancelled. Court records & documents found at Missouri Court’s Case.net.

— Steve Patterson

 

Motorcycle Parking on Sidewalk

September 10, 2015 Featured, Parking, Scooters 7 Comments

Last week I posted about buying a small 49cc Honda Metropolitan scooter a decade ago. Like a bicycle, it wasn’t required to be registered as a vehicle, often overlooked, and could be easily stolen.  As a result, I’d park it on the sidewalk -locked to something if I couldn’t watch it. But I also see very large motorcycles on sidewalks

Motorcycle at bike racks, Central Library
Motorcycle at bike racks, Central Library

Really?

I’m at a loss for why this is parked here, maybe no on-street parking spaces were free?   I’m open to hearing the reasons why registered motorcycles/scooters should be allowed to park on sidewalks.

— Steve Patterson

 

10th & Olive Parking Lot Loses One Entry; Fence Gains Height, Gate

September 8, 2015 Downtown, Featured, Parking Comments Off on 10th & Olive Parking Lot Loses One Entry; Fence Gains Height, Gate

It’s rare to see an owner of one of downtown’s many surface parking lots spend money making improvements, but for nearly a month now that has been the case at 10th & Olive.

Small private parking lot, 10th & Olive, provides parking for commercial spaces in two nearby buildings. 2013 photo.
Small private parking lot, 10th & Olive, provides parking for commercial spaces in two nearby buildings. 2013 photo.
On August 12th I noticed work being done on the surface -- it had been very uneven and not maintained. .
On August 12th I noticed work being done on the surface — it had been very uneven and not maintained. .
By September 1st the iron fence was now taller. The 10th  St entranced was now closed off.
By September 1st the iron fence was now taller. The 10th St entranced was now closed off.
By September 4th they'd cut a pedestrian opening, The Olive St entry will be getting a gate so people needed a pedestrian route to get in/out.
By September 4th they’d cut a pedestrian opening, The Olive St entry will be getting a gate so people needed a pedestrian route to get in/out.

Ideally, at some point in the future, this corner will once again have a multi-story building. In the meantime, these changes are welcomed — especially closing off the 10th Street entrance.  Would be nice to see one additional on-street parking space added where the driveway was.

— Steve Patterson

 

 

 

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