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Rutgers eliminates College Avenue Parking Spaces

The are doing a redevelopment of College Avenue this semester, adding Bike lanes and a bus lane. It will be done by summer.
 
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Will that bus lane work? I can already picture people pulling over and blocking that lane on a daily basis.
 
Sounds like one of those ideas that's better in theory than in practice. But unless they build a massive deck on one end of the campus, run shuttles non-stop around CAC and ban cars from College Avenue, the same problems will exist in just slightly different ways.
 
Sounds like one of those ideas that's better in theory than in practice. But unless they build a massive deck on one end of the campus, run shuttles non-stop around CAC and ban cars from College Avenue, the same problems will exist in just slightly different ways.

Did you read the article ? It only affects 50 parking spots at the end of College Ave between Hamilton St and Somerset St.
And there are parking decks a block or 2 away.

Heck a few years ago, there were plans to make College Ave a 'Greenway' completely prohibiting all vehicles including buses.
 
There is a need for additional parking decks on College Ave. They should probably put in a 4 to 5 story deck behind the student center / gym to accommodate 2000-5000 cars.

It is crazy that upperclassmen living on college ave can't have a car in walking distance.
then the commuter students may find the deck filled when they arrive for class.
 
how does a fence along the sidewalk beautify college ave?

I agree completely with eliminating parking spaces.. but really, shouldn't they be working on a plan to make college ave a pedestrian mall?

It is very convenient for faculty and staff to be able to drive to their buildings and park outside.. it is also ugly in a campus setting. Find a way to hide the cars underground and limit access more.

The Voorhees Mall area used to be Bleeker Street. Isn't it much better as a pedestrian mall?

Look at what JnJ did when they built their HQ. They could have put a parking structure on their side of the tracks with their new building.. instead they built it on Rutgers' side of the tracks. On their side of the tracks they have a nice underground facility.

Maybe the old JnJ building and their heliport needs to be condemned for public use of that spot and build a big parking deck there to serve the east end of College Ave. You need a deck that's easy to get into off route 18.. direct access if possible... off george street if not.
 
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Regarding a pedestrian mall, if they could shut down parts of Broadway to make Times Square more accessible and interesting to people visiting the area, the same could be done with College Ave.
 
Bike path is a layup and a great idea. It will make the street prettier. The less space for cars the better. We have the best bus system in the country and most students live off campus or at most a 10 minute walk away.
 
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Painting lines on a street is not a bike path. Great in theory. Awful in practice.
 
That rendering literally looks like accidents waiting to happen. Unless it is a separate bike lane and not merely painted lanes, I fear for the worst.
 
Maybe you guys should take a look at the University's Physical Master Plan. All of your concerns have been accounted for.

Yea, the master plan clearly shows underground parking where the the proposed greenway will be off of George Street. Not sure why people are trying to reinvent the wheel with parking here...
 
Yea, the master plan clearly shows underground parking where the the proposed greenway will be off of George Street. Not sure why people are trying to reinvent the wheel with parking here...
The 2030 plan is a bit sketchy... on page 126 of that PDF there are map diagrams of current and proposed parking, but nothing says underground or not.

There is a lot of talk about why building parking is too expensive.. it really covers all sides.. parking is so expensive to build that when people are forced to pay the proper rate they will shy away from using vehicles, thus making the parking less necessary...

...and they also suggest that elimination of parking must be offset with pre-built replacement parking. And that building any structure should have the new parking demand and cost of that parking worked into it before it is built.

I am a bit curious about the purple blobs in the "proposed parking" diagram.. it represents "partnership garage". Are they going to lease or sell land to private parking concerns who will build garages and charge what they will? Wouldn't there then me an inherent conflict between Rutgers wanting to satisfy the needs of its community with parking and the ability of these "partnership garages" to be able to attract customers at desirable rates?

If they allowed a private development company to build a dorm, wouldn't that company prefer that not all students who want dorm rooms be able to find dorm space with Rutgers itself?
 
That rendering literally looks like accidents waiting to happen. Unless it is a separate bike lane and not merely painted lanes, I fear for the worst.

Bike lanes as such all over the place now. NYC, Hoboken, etc, etc.. Get used to it.
 
There is a need for additional parking decks on College Ave. They should probably put in a 4 to 5 story deck behind the student center / gym to accommodate 2000-5000 cars.

It is crazy that upperclassmen living on college ave can't have a car in walking distance.
then the commuter students may find the deck filled when they arrive for class.

5 THOUSAND cars???
 
how does a fence along the sidewalk beautify college ave?
One was quite the landmark in Berlin for many years...
Berlin_Wall_8866.jpg
 
Bike lanes as such all over the place now. NYC, Hoboken, etc, etc.. Get used to it.

NY Bike lines along the river are great. The regular roads not so much. Painting the road doesn't make it a bike lane. Just silly.
 
NY Bike lines along the river are great. The regular roads not so much. Painting the road doesn't make it a bike lane. Just silly.

I both agree and disagree. The road markings, if approved beforehand by the municipal/county/state DOT, legally make them bike lanes. However, city bike lanes can be dangerous and only moderately effective unless physically protected from traffic by barrier or parked vehicles. Refer to 1st, 2nd, and 8th Avenues on Manhattans Upper East/West Sides as good examples of bike lanes and general vehicular/pedestrian traffic management: bike lane by left curb, metered parking lane which serves as protective barrier, three lanes for thru traffic, and dedicated rush hour bus lane on the right side which serves as metered parking during off hours..
 
I both agree and disagree. The road markings, if approved beforehand by the municipal/county/state DOT, legally make them bike lanes. However, city bike lanes can be dangerous and only moderately effective unless physically protected from traffic by barrier or parked vehicles. Refer to 1st, 2nd, and 8th Avenues on Manhattans Upper East/West Sides as good examples of bike lanes and general vehicular/pedestrian traffic management: bike lane by left curb, metered parking lane which serves as protective barrier, three lanes for thru traffic, and dedicated rush hour bus lane on the right side which serves as metered parking during off hours..
The illustration in the article shows posts forming a physical barrier between the road and bike lanes.

Also, College Ave is not carrying the traffic volume of 8th Ave in NYC.
 
I guess it depends on what the fence looks like. Something like this might not be bad.
Picture%20025.jpg
Isn't that a bike rack?

But, yeah.. the fence is safety issue.. a delay issue for traffic... jaywalkers. Even if the fence is more ugly than no fence.. it is justifiable.
 
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The 2030 plan is a bit sketchy... on page 126 of that PDF there are map diagrams of current and proposed parking, but nothing says underground or not.

There is a lot of talk about why building parking is too expensive.. it really covers all sides.. parking is so expensive to build that when people are forced to pay the proper rate they will shy away from using vehicles, thus making the parking less necessary...

...and they also suggest that elimination of parking must be offset with pre-built replacement parking. And that building any structure should have the new parking demand and cost of that parking worked into it before it is built.

I am a bit curious about the purple blobs in the "proposed parking" diagram.. it represents "partnership garage". Are they going to lease or sell land to private parking concerns who will build garages and charge what they will? Wouldn't there then me an inherent conflict between Rutgers wanting to satisfy the needs of its community with parking and the ability of these "partnership garages" to be able to attract customers at desirable rates?

If they allowed a private development company to build a dorm, wouldn't that company prefer that not all students who want dorm rooms be able to find dorm space with Rutgers itself?

There are actually more garages proposed than I remember seeing the first time I looked at it. The underground one and the rest of them are listed on report page 168 and 169. There won't be a parking issue if these plans are followed. There is a lot of parking proposed.

http://masterplan.rutgers.edu/sites/masterplan/files/Rutgers 2030 - Volume 1 - Rutgers University - New Brunswick - C District Framework_r3.pdf
 
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