Airport cell phone parking lots
Larry Gross
Airport in Milwaukee for use by drivers waiting to receive a phone call
to pick up arriving passengers.
The free parking is an incentive to cut down on the number of drivers
who cause traffic congestion by circling the airport terminal waiting
for travelers. It will also help conserve fuel and reduce emissions
caused by idling vehicles, officials said.
The cell phone lot is made up of 15 short-term parking spaces within
the airport's surface parking lot. Drivers receive a ticket upon
entering the lot and must follow posted signs to the cell phone staging
area.
Thirty minutes of free parking is provided while drivers wait for their
phone call. Unattended cars will be ticketed and towed, officials said.
If more than 30 minutes is needed, the parking fee is $2 for an
additional half-hour, then $2 per hour after that.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-051001milwaukee,1,1234816.column?coll=chi-news-hed
james
it's for 75 minutes
brink
"james" <tune...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1129039318.3...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> Denver has had for for a year or so about 2 miles from the terminal.
> it's for 75 minutes
dang good idea, too. i wish all the southern cal airports would go to
this... it's a pain having to do the circle-circle-circle ad nauseam...
brink
Dave
SAN has had one off and on it since '02, no specific time limits, just
can't leave your car unattended. (Cause of construction it's closed
sometimes though.)
Dave
k_f...@lycos.com
> Denver has had for for a year or so about 2 miles from the terminal.
> it's for 75 minutes
Yes, and it was in response to the public doing it on an ad-hoc basis
in the first place. An example of the market responding later to what
the people wanted earlier.
At Denver, people began pulling off to the side of the road to park and
wait for their parties to call and say they're ready for pickup at
baggage claim. Denver had done away with its free parking zone in the
aftermath of 9/11 -- the zone was adjacent to the terminal building and
deemed unsafe for unmonitored public traffic (read: "bomb truck could
pull up next to the building")
In the meantime, on the main access road, Denver had already eliminated
the toll booth/ticket gates that required everyone to pull a ticket,
even if they were just dropping off or picking up (an access control
feature that nevertheless was one of the new airport's biggest bugs --
a 70-minute grace period still meant even free vehicles had to exit
through a pay booth and be let out).
So Denver simply converted the wide concrete area where the access
plaza had been into a temporary parking area for folks waiting.
I keep telling the city that instead of restricting movement there
(must remain in your car, no rest room, no phone provided, 75 minute
limit, etc), it ought to capitalize on it with some new concessions
(coffee, sandwich, rest room, phone -- after all, the utilities already
are there from the plaza) and promote it.
I understand Philly has created a remote waiting area also after people
were parking out on the highways outside the airport.
k_f...@lycos.com
> james wrote:
> > Denver has had for for a year or so about 2 miles from the terminal.
> > it's for 75 minutes
>
> Yes, and it was in response to the public doing it on an ad-hoc basis
> in the first place. An example of the market responding later to what
> the people wanted earlier.
I should have added: It's been for much longer than a year or so.
Denver was one of the first, if not the first, airports to formalize
this ad-hoc arrangement several years ago.
Steve
BWI has one of those, but you can stay up to an hour (necessary when I
arrived at 11 for a flight that didn't get in till 11:45... it was
SUPPOSED to be in before 7...). After that hour, you have to leave or
park in the real lot.
--
Steve Alpert
MIT - B.S. '05, M.S. (Transportation) '06
http://web.mit.edu/smalpert/www/roads
james
any plans for that old plaza? didn't they want to try to sell it to a
service oriented biz? i can't picture an arby's there.
too bad the tunnel isn't on the inbound (EB) side, they could build an
enormous automated wall and spike strip.
kh...@jersey.net
on the opposite side of I-95, but as far as I know there's no time
restrictions. People still line the ramps along 95 to the airport, and
if the cops are in the area, they'll force them to move.
k_f...@lycos.com
That's my old hometown! How long does it take to get to pickup areas
(say, terminal B) from that location? Last time I flew in and my
brother picked me up, it seemd to take about 10 minutes from when I
called him to when he showed up.
Like Is ay, if they were smart they'd turn the area from a bare-bones
spartan gulag-type facility into a sparkling concession-laden oasis for
waiting. I've never known airports to pass up on a revenue streamlike
this.
k_f...@lycos.com
That was the original idea (not the spike strip, but a controlled
access point far from the terminal) done for security reasons. The new
city administration at the time removed it, bowing to pressure because
of the enormous inconvenience of forcing all vehicles through this
point even though 2/3rds of them were no-pay because they were just
drop-off or pick-up.
In fact, the original plans included the remote plaza for one more
erason -- the city intended at some point to charge a nominal fee for
any access, similar to what I understand is the rule at DFW.
Under the new arrangement, all traffic can reach the terminal w/o
passing through any checkpoint. After 9/11, police had to set up
temporary shelters out on the highway for security checks, lacking the
remote plaza.
Larry Gross
this... that may already be used ad-hoc
such as any multi-modal situation where
someone is meeting their ride...
carpool lots.. especially those where
slugging is a practice.... etc
I note that even at the mall.. that
folks with purchases waiting at the
curb are on their cell.. and then
shortly thereafter a car pulls up
to load the bags...
wonder how long it will be before cells
can transmit their lat/long to others
who have an onboard navigation system?
kh...@jersey.net
reconstruction at the airport, with the most extreme idea being to tear
the whole place down and start over again. There's only a few options,
so while it's extreme, it's certainly a possibility.
Hell, they just need better signage to get there in the first place.
Then they can get some income from the place.
Craig Zeni
> A "cell phone parking lot" has opened at General Mitchell International
> Airport in Milwaukee for use by drivers waiting to receive a phone call
> to pick up arriving passengers.
>
> The free parking is an incentive to cut down on the number of drivers
> who cause traffic congestion by circling the airport terminal waiting
> for travelers. It will also help conserve fuel and reduce emissions
> caused by idling vehicles, officials said.
>
> The cell phone lot is made up of 15 short-term parking spaces within
> the airport's surface parking lot. Drivers receive a ticket upon
> entering the lot and must follow posted signs to the cell phone staging
> area.
BWI has a cellphone lot, about 5 minutes from the terminal - great idea.
Even easier would be to simply get rid of the look-busy rules
prohibiting waiting curbside. Do the knuckleheads at Homeland Security
think that terrorists can't simply drive up, stop, and pull the pin? Or
that they even need to stop?
Scott en Aztlán
wrote:
>A "cell phone parking lot" has opened at General Mitchell International
>Airport in Milwaukee for use by drivers waiting to receive a phone call
>to pick up arriving passengers.
>
>The free parking is an incentive to cut down on the number of drivers
>who cause traffic congestion by circling the airport terminal waiting
>for travelers. It will also help conserve fuel and reduce emissions
>caused by idling vehicles, officials said.
>
>Thirty minutes of free parking is provided while drivers wait for their
>phone call. Unattended cars will be ticketed and towed, officials said.
John Wayne Airport (SNA) has a similar deal: the first 15 minutes in
any of the terminal lots is free of charge.
>The cell phone lot is made up of 15 short-term parking spaces within
>the airport's surface parking lot.
FIFTEEN spaces? That may be enough for Podunk MKE, but at a REAL
airport thoise 15 spaces would be just as congested as the terminal
driveways, which would completely defeat the purpose. Which is
undoubtedly why SNA doesn't limit the free parking to a ridiculously
paltry 15 spaces.
>If more than 30 minutes is needed, the parking fee is $2 for an
>additional half-hour, then $2 per hour after that.
What a rip! If I go over the 15 minute free period at SNA, it only
costs me $1...
Scott en Aztlán
wrote:
>methinks there may be other versions of
>this... that may already be used ad-hoc
>
>such as any multi-modal situation where
>someone is meeting their ride...
>
>carpool lots.. especially those where
>slugging is a practice.... etc
"Slugging?"
Mike Tantillo
Casual carpooling is the official term promoted by VDOT. This is
mostly a Northern Virginia thing along I-95 and I-395.
Larry Gross
significant numbers of commuters who originate from outlying
suburbs ..... or if the DC area is the only one that has
(for undetermined reasons) morphed into "slugging" or
"casual commuting" (or ad hoc car pooling) and why
(or why not).
The basic concept seems solid from a multi-modal perspective.
It would seem that no matter how many buses and rail that a
region has that the most frequent complaint (excuse for driving
SOV) is that the bus/rail does not 'go' to the destination that
the commuter is inbound to.
"slugging" responds to this by essentially providing a multi-modal
clearinghouse at each carpool lot where people can part and then
find a carpooling vehicle to switch to - and of course the payoff
is that once a SOV vehicle becomes a carpool - it can use
the HOV lanes.
I know security is the oft-cited reason why folks feel this
won't "work" but the reality seems to be that it does work
and if it works in the DC area, why not in other areas?
Mike Tantillo
Larry Gross wrote:
> Sometimes I wonder if the DC area is the only one that has
> significant numbers of commuters who originate from outlying
> suburbs ..... or if the DC area is the only one that has
> (for undetermined reasons) morphed into "slugging" or
> "casual commuting" (or ad hoc car pooling) and why
> (or why not).
I very very highly doubt DC is the only area where people come in from
far outlying suburbs. I work with people who commute in from east of
I-95 here in Raleigh. I know people commute from Scranton area to NYC
everyday. L.A. area is just plain old rediculous in terms of commutes,
as is the Bay Area.
As for slugging, I doubt its taken hold elsewhere because of the lack
of HOV facilities that operate as effeciently as the Shirley-HOV lanes
do.
>
> The basic concept seems solid from a multi-modal perspective.
>
> It would seem that no matter how many buses and rail that a
> region has that the most frequent complaint (excuse for driving
> SOV) is that the bus/rail does not 'go' to the destination that
> the commuter is inbound to.
Also, they don't run as reliably, and they charge a fare. If the one
train breaks down, everyone's out of luck. If one car in the slug
pickup line breaks down, the next car can pick up riders and the vast
majority are not affected at all. Plus, its free for the riders, and
the driver gets "paid" by getting a much faster ride to work.
>
> "slugging" responds to this by essentially providing a multi-modal
> clearinghouse at each carpool lot where people can part and then
> find a carpooling vehicle to switch to - and of course the payoff
> is that once a SOV vehicle becomes a carpool - it can use
> the HOV lanes.
>
Indeed. Everyone benefits, even the poor schmuck in the regular lanes,
becuase thats one less (er, actually 3 less) cars in those lanes.
> I know security is the oft-cited reason why folks feel this
> won't "work" but the reality seems to be that it does work
> and if it works in the DC area, why not in other areas?
I have yet to hear of any security related issues surrounding slugging.
I'm not sure what crime-rates are in Northern Virginia, but i'd
imagine they are somewhat low, which would help the security situation.
I think a big reason why it doesn't work in other states (in addition
to the ones I cited above), is that people tend to originate all over
the place, and end up all over the place. In Northern VA, people
originate all along certain corridors (I-95 being the biggest), and can
get from their subdivisions to the plethora of commuter parking lots to
get to that corridor. Then they all head to work in a relatively
concentrated area (DC, Arlington, Pentagon), though getting a ride to
anywhere in the area will likely be "close enough" due to the good mass
transit in the District/NoVA. In between, you have a dedicated HOV
roadway to handle the high amount of people-traffic in a relatively
small number of vehicles.
Dave
Mike Tantillo wrote:
> As for slugging, I doubt its taken hold elsewhere because of the lack
> of HOV facilities that operate as effeciently as the Shirley-HOV lanes
> do.
That and in areas like SoCal it'd be difficult to get people to agree
from a safety point of view. I know too many people who have been
carjacked without slugging. Also the variety of start points and
destinations would make it tough to co-ordinate, much like existing
mass transit problems the region already faces.
I do know a few carpools that formed from groups who got to know each
other by using Park & Ride lots for various forms of mass transit. Gas
is cheaper when you drive 1/4 days than paying the fare every day. I'd
do the same thing if my routes didn't change on the fly regularly.
Before I got my FastTrak I used a friend to ride in the I-15 HOT lane.
I bought him some In-N-Out, and he saved me at least 30 minutes of
sitting in traffic.
Dave
brink
"Dave" <david...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1129428109....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Mike Tantillo wrote:
>
>> As for slugging, I doubt its taken hold elsewhere because of the lack
>> of HOV facilities that operate as effeciently as the Shirley-HOV lanes
>> do.
>
> That and in areas like SoCal it'd be difficult to get people to agree
> from a safety point of view. I know too many people who have been
> carjacked without slugging.
dang dave! where do you live, south central?
i've lived out near riverside for eight years and have never heard of anyone
i know getting carjacked... maybe i'm just too sheltered... ;-)
Also the variety of start points and
> destinations would make it tough to co-ordinate, much like existing
> mass transit problems the region already faces.
>
> I do know a few carpools that formed from groups who got to know each
> other by using Park & Ride lots for various forms of mass transit. Gas
> is cheaper when you drive 1/4 days than paying the fare every day. I'd
> do the same thing if my routes didn't change on the fly regularly.
>
> Before I got my FastTrak I used a friend to ride in the I-15 HOT lane.
> I bought him some In-N-Out, and he saved me at least 30 minutes of
> sitting in traffic.
you "bought him some In-N-Out"? i wonder if any east coast readers did a
double take at that sentence... ;-)
brink
Dave
brink wrote:
> "Dave" <david...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1129428109....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >
> > Mike Tantillo wrote:
> >
> >> As for slugging, I doubt its taken hold elsewhere because of the lack
> >> of HOV facilities that operate as effeciently as the Shirley-HOV lanes
> >> do.
> >
> > That and in areas like SoCal it'd be difficult to get people to agree
> > from a safety point of view. I know too many people who have been
> > carjacked without slugging.
>
> dang dave! where do you live, south central?
>
> i've lived out near riverside for eight years and have never heard of anyone
> i know getting carjacked... maybe i'm just too sheltered... ;-)
I'd say just a little lucky, one of my friends had the same Mustang GT
carjacked twice (Hollywood & Santa Monica) and my old boss lost his
Civic to someone in Oceanside. My old roommate lost a 240sx at a gas
station in La Jolla too. I think they all let their guard down because
(other than Oceanside) they thought they were in a good neighborhood.
Also to the LAPD's credit the Mustang was recovered in good shape both
times.
> > Before I got my FastTrak I used a friend to ride in the I-15 HOT lane.
> > I bought him some In-N-Out, and he saved me at least 30 minutes of
> > sitting in traffic.
>
> you "bought him some In-N-Out"? i wonder if any east coast readers did a
> double take at that sentence... ;-)
Just burgers & fries. =)
Dave (Who's realizing how slowly Google adds messages sometimes.)
william lynch
Tell the easterners it's just like White Castle, only actually
edible.
Marc Fannin
> Dave (Who's realizing how slowly Google adds messages sometimes.)
Hm? I guess it's YMMV, as usually anything I post shows up in the
archives within a minute these days.
________________________________________________________________________
Marc Fannin|musx...@kent.edu or @hotmail.com| http://www.roadfan.com/
Dave
Marc Fannin wrote:
> Dave wrote:
>
> > Dave (Who's realizing how slowly Google adds messages sometimes.)
>
> Hm? I guess it's YMMV, as usually anything I post shows up in the
> archives within a minute these days.
My posts show up fast on Google, it's posts from off Google that take a
while to show up on it sometimes. It's not all the messages, just
enough that it gets confusing sometimes..
Dave