Hey there Moncton,
For Months now I have seen Mayor Dawn Arnold take a beating on Social Media for the lack of parking in downtown Moncton for the opening of our new event center. I have heard numerous arguments and excuses why this center will not work and I have engaged in a number of debates which I have officially declared myself the winner of but now I have some stats for you to push my point even further.
My podcast team of Andy Jardine, Gini Bourque, and myself recently took a trip visiting the cities of Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto for 3 CFL games and a Blue Jays game and I have some figures and information on each game for you.
- Hamilton Tiger Cats – Tim Horton’s Field – this field is located in a very awkward location in the middle of a neighbourhood with houses on 3 sides of the stadium and some business buildings on the North side. There is no parking at the stadium other than the people that allow people to park on their front yards and even those spots ranged from $25.00 to $10.00 depending on how close you want to get to the stadium. Game – Saskatchewan July 19th – Attendance 23,346
- Ottawa RedBlacks – TD Place – Tickets state there is NO parking at the stadium and the only way to get in and out of the stadium on game day is by Bus, Taxi, UBer, Etc. Game – BC Lions July 20th – Attendance 21,319
- Toronto Argos – BMO Field – There is parking available at the stadium although the team recommends that fans travel by public transportation when coming to games including Toronto FC games. For those that want to park in the limited space available can expect to pay approx. $30.00 per game. Game – Winnipeg July 20th – Attendance 10,844
On July 21st also attended a Toronto Blue Jays game which had a large attendance and also lack of parking but no sense in comparing these numbers as this is Major League Baseball.
My point with all these figures is two of these cities have little to no parking and still pack their stadiums, while the biggest city with plenty of parking can barely bring enough people to sustain their team. Parking is not the issue and solving it will not support a local team. Moncton is no longer a town, we need to be looking at how larger cities are handling Transportation/Parking, I think comparing Moncton to Hamilton and Ottawa is a fair comparison and even for the Argos game, I think my example works.
I have heard numerous people say it will not work in Moncton….. I want you to know if you have thought or said this statement you are WRONG!!! The citizens of Greater Moncton is often what holds this City back from the growth opportunity that it is facing and like other similar cities, we need facilities like the one that our Mayor and City Council are trying to accomplish. I personally am tired of hearing the negative comments and feedback from people that know nothing about running a city little lone what is actually happening outside of our city borders.
So in the end, I am not saying parking is not a problem, it’s the willingness to support and get emotionally invested in a team as any city that values parking more than anything else, simply does not deserve a sports team because they do not love the team enough to support them.
Hence Toronto with the Toronto Argos!
This is all my opinion of course but I would like to give Mayor Arnold and her a team a HUGE shout of confidence from what I have seen taking place in other cities.
Keep Moncton Moving Forward!!
FDS Podcast Network 
It’s not the parking available! It’s the not knowing where to park safely without getting booted. I don’t mind parking and walking to the event center, however many people not knowing where they can park safely is a big problem. Imagine your from out of town and you park thinking you’re ok only to find that your car was booted. It’s going to continue to be a problem and I guarantee you’ll hear about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree this is a concern in the Downtown area and there is some work to be done by council to get this sorted out. Like most cities though private lots will be open for a fee for parking, I imagine.
LikeLike
Maybe park in one of many parking garages DT. Read the signs in parking lots/streets to know if its ok to park. If you’re from out of town you could always look up paid parking before making the trip. The place is not even open yet people. Chill out
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could you include the number of Hotel Rooms, Air B&B, etc that are within walking distance in your discussion. I am not aware of any hotels within walking distance of TD Stadium at Lansdowne Park here in Ottawa, that goes for the CTC in Ottawa.
LikeLike
Hi Fraser, I do not have the details that your looking for on Hotels and Airbnb near the stadium although I would venture to say that Moncton would have more access to hotels closer to the new stadium based on the fact it is located downtown and there are plans for a new hotel right next to the stadium.
LikeLike
Parking isn’t the issue. The issue is that it will require the use of public funds. There is no forward movement when our tax dollars are misused.
LikeLike
This is not the point of my article but I completely disagree with you!!
LikeLike
You simply cannot compare Moncton to big cities like Toronto and Ottawa……those cities have transit that supports arenas in the downtown area….Moncton simply does not. I have been to big cities in Canada and the U.S. for many sporting events. There are ample parking garages either attached to the arena, within a couple of blocks or there are a ton of buses with direct routes to the arena. I’m all about moving Moncton forward, but they should have planned for parking before they even broke ground. There would have been nothing wrong with including a parking garage next to the events center and charging $10 per event.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Andrea, had Moncton did just what your proposing the people giving me the biggest grief over this article would be freaking out about the $10.00 for parking. Moncton City Council still has lots of work ahead of them and I am not stating its a perfect right now but I am saying we can manage with the attendance needed for these games, but more planning is needed. I will never use the word “Can’t” if I had I wouldn’t be sending you this message from my podcast site!! Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
Your “stats to push this further” is 3 cities……. let me chime in with a few of my own…places I have been for a sporting event during summer and winter…
London Lightning: parking lot
Niagara River Lions: parking lot across from arena and 1 block over
Windsor Express: parking lot
Halifax: ample parking garages within a 2 block radius
Saint John: 2 parking lots
St. John’s: parking garage
P.E.I.: parking lot
Roger’s Centre: ample parking garages within a 2 block radius
Bell Centre: ample parking garages within a 2 block radius, bus system and train system
Bangor Credit Union Place: parking lot and parking garage across the street
TMobile in Las Vegas: ample parking garages within a 2 block radius
Foxborough: parking lot
Td Gardens in Boston: ample parking garages, train system and bus system
Tampa bay: parking garage attached to arena
MetLife Stadium: parking lot
Madison Square Gardens: parking garages, bus system, train system
Again….I am all for Moncton moving forward and will support the events center…..I just feel that if they would have put a parking garage nearby, there would not be so much discussion about it. If they would have said to the public “we hear you and have planned for a parking garage to be put up beside or attached to the arena” we would not be having this debate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Andrea, All very good points but here is a stat your forgetting….. Moncton Wildcats and Moncton Miracles… FREE Parking Wildcats did not sell out and the Miracles had little to no attendance. People don’t want to just attend a game anymore they want to experience going downtown for Dinner, Drink, and a Game. Now as I write this I know there is someone that is going to tell me about their young families and sorry wish I could relate but I cant as my youngest is a teenager.
The issue is not the parking people maybe complaining about the parking its the willingness to support your local community teams.
I am sure the private sector will come in and build a garage at some point and then we will hear about the cost of parking, there is always something in this city.
I personally am tired of hearing the negative comments… The Stadium is downtown either support it or stay home. Its really that simple, I will be there and to be honest, I dont even enjoy Hockey that much any more. but that is a totally another topic!!
LikeLike
It’s the Moncton Magic….not Miracles….. and I totally get what you are saying…..no need to be negative…..it’s there and we should support it, which is what I have said I would be doing. In my opinion, the experience is within the game itself….people need to see that they are getting their money’s worth for the ticket. Moncton is a city that supports a team when they are winning, and tends to stay home when they are losing. I hope the events center does well and look forward to going to some shows/sporting events in the near future!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although your points are good points I’m noticing that all of these events took place during the summer season. A great majority of events in Moncton would be the Wildcats games which for the most part are in the cold winter and I can say that this will play a factor in attendance. Also when you look at these bigger cities..their city busses are much more frequent on these main routes unlike in Moncton. I lived in Hamilton for the most part of my life and used the HSR bus service daily. I would have thought that a parking structure by the event centre would’ve been the best way to go. I’d be more than willing to pay for parking to be closer to the events I’m planning to attend. A paid parking would have paid itself off..and would be a steady source of income to help pay for this facility. It’s going to be a challenge I’m hoping it goes well.
LikeLike
Hey Joanne, all great points Moncton will have to make some changes to its routes and frequency of the buses, I am not saying its perfect but I think we have something to build and when it comes to the attendance needed for a Wildcats game vs a TiCats game, I think we should be able to accomplish it with some planning. Thanks for taking time to read my blog!
LikeLike
I’m just thrilled with the new Center and can’t wait to see inside and to experience it’s events. I’m an avid Concert goer and this Center is going to finally bring in some big names and i plan on supporting Moncton and it’s new Event Center…..Parking…..It is what it is….We’ve figured it out before, i’m sure we will again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So you are complaining that Moncton has too many complainers..way to change that trend. Those who have followed municipal politics can tell you that the city got burned royally by a downtown parking deal for the Rogers call centre. They have studied the costs of a parking spot in a parking garage and its really high vs surface parking and they also have studied growth and the downtown needs to densify in order to grow its tax base. Parking does not do this. I hope the private sector can make it work as I wont want to park a 20 minute walk away in -20C on icy sidewalks to support the local team that plays 40 or more home games. Comparing to football isnt fair as its 8 home games per year. my 2 cents.
LikeLike
CFL has 9 home games a year, if want want more football tooics or to hear our debate on Parking DT Moncton check out our FB page First Down Sports podcast!! Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
I will have no problem walking to the arena. I’m used to it. Going to bills and sabres games, if you didn’t get there really early you’re walking a long distance to the arena.. i loved it. Stopping at different restaurants, and meeting new people… i loved the excitement of fans, talking sports the whole way to the arena… the city will have to keep up on snow removal though, which i see has been getting worse every year since moving here… i’m excited to go to this new arena.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mom would be so proud of you that you can now actually speak a full sentence!!
LikeLike
Now if only she could be proud of you for something……. lol
LikeLike