Space to improve

Can Dickson Street area parking be better?

It’s not rocket science. It’s not as though the city of Fayetteville is trying to find a cure for disease.

Its leaders aren’t trying to define the path to Middle East peace.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan has hardly donned a brown fedora and a whip to uncover the lost ark of the Covenant, although “Indiana” Jordan has a nice ring to it.

No, Jordan and his administration are just trying to quash the reality and the perception of parking problems in the Dickson Street entertainment district.

Oh. Maybe that Middle East peace thing doesn’t sound so tough.

When, really, has parking not been considered a problem around Dickson Street? Perhaps it was less so in the ’70s and ’80s when reliable sources tell us the street was a rough place to be and regular Joes didn’t linger down there for long once it got dark.

Just this week, the Dickson Street Merchants Association released the results of a survey of 1,149 business customers and Walton Arts Center ticket holders. Unlike some of the arts center’s on-stage productions, there was little mystery about how people the survey would end.

The survey said 64 percent of those who responded perceived of lack of parking availability on Dickson Street and around the Walton Arts Center. More than half (55 percent) reported operational issues related to their search for a parking spot: too long to find one, none near their destination, an aversion to on-street parking and not having cash for event parking.

Seventy-seven percent of those surveyed said their parking experience on Dickson Street needs improvement.

So it’s clear, at the least, that there’s a perception problem. It is, most likely, more severe than the reality of parking problems. And with some certainty we can suggest achieving 100 percent satisfaction is highly unlikely. After all, part of the charm of Dickson Street is the fact there’s a lot of action crammed into a relatively small space, that people are out of their cars walking among their neighbors and visitors, having the great time a performance or a nightclub or a shared meal offers. To fully “solve” the parking problems would be to destroy the character that makes people want to visit Fayetteville’s bestknown entertainment destination.

The Dickson Street experience isn’t realized from behind a steering wheel. So a big part of what the city, the Merchants Association and others must do is manage expectations. If parking and walking a few blocks is the problem, we’re not sure a solution is worth finding.

But the city cannot dismiss perception because that can have a serious impact on whether people want to visit Dickson Street. Upgrades to the pay kiosks so they are faster and more user intuitive would help. A bigger push to help people understand the useful paid parking app (and perhaps a way to use it without an add-on charge) would help. A direct connection between the new Spring Street parking deck and an entrance to the arts center would help.

A consulting firm hired to study parking and “mobility” citywide will hold a final round of public workshops Tuesday through Thursday (times and places available at http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3081/Fayetteville-Mobility-Plan). The City Council’s Transportation Committee immediately following the council’s 4:30 p.m. agenda session Tuesday will review the study, too.

The study is about far more than just downtown parking, but that’s a component of the overall effort. All those people who said they want an improved experience in the Dickson Street area should take heed: The city is asking for your feedback.

Speak up.