Nottingham, England--When Nottingham
opens its newest attraction--the National Ice Centre, an indoor arena for skating
competitions and entertainment events--it will, as a matter of policy, have no adjacent
parking lot to accommodate cars for the stadium's 7,500 seats.
The facility will house two Olympic-size ice rinks and
associated facilities when it is finished in 2001, with completion of the first phase
scheduled next spring. It is being constructed at a cost equivalent to $59 million.
The Nottingham City Council's response to the parking
issue is a coordinated strategy that aims to promote public transport and to encourage
visitors to use car parks within easy walking distance of the arena.
According to council spokesman Tim Baggs, some 4,500
parking spaces will be available within a five-to-10-minute walk of the ice facility. Most
of these are likely to be vacant in the evening, when the arena is likely to be used for a
hockey match or an entertainment event.
Parking for persons with disabilities will be provided on
nearby streets.
Regarding the encouragement of public transport use, the
Nottingham operating company has teamed up with the Espanol football stadium in Barcelona,
Spain, in a European Commission project to swap experience on how to get people to
downtown sports arenas without their cars. New tram and bus stops are part of the
strategy, along with new taxi stands and bus drop-off points around the NIC and the
production and distribution of new bike and pedestrian maps.
An integrated ticket sales and space allocation system for
specific car parks is now being organized. Mike Grayson, manager of the facility, said
each ticket will indicate a specific parking lot for the ticket holder.
Space allocations from parking lot owners will be
coordinated with ticket sales. Municipal parking lots will charge GBP 2 ($3.20) between 6
p.m. and 9 a.m. Also, events at the NIC are expected to provide a new revenue stream for
multi-story parking garages in the downtown area, which are mostly empty at night.
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