Chattanooga has an attractive downtown, with some tree-lined, divided parkway streets conveniently serving traffic, lots of large office populations and a variety of retail stores. But from time to time, we have had to face a recurring problem: providing enough parking places along our streets and in garages for our highly car-centered people.
The challenge, of course, is to have enough parking places “close to where we want to go” at a cost that is reasonable and acceptable.
Parking meters along main streets are fine for accommodating motorists for short stops. And many parking garages have been developed for daytime workers and for shoppers who spend many hours downtown. But there never seem to be “enough” places where we want to stop for a price we want to pay.
Building parking garages is expensive. Street-level lots are popular, but are limited in the central city because the real estate close to stores and major businesses is expensive.
Chattanooga has faced its parking challenges from time to time over several decades, making adjustments to provide parking, then running out of enough, and needing more places for our cars.