Quote:
Originally Posted by OliverD
You are ignoring a ton of really obvious factors:
- Some event attendees would be staying in downtown hotels and thus have no need to drive anywhere.
- Some event attendees would live within walking distance of the event centre.
- Shuttle services can be provided for people who park their cars outside of the downtown core.
- Transit could be expanded with additional runs to bus people to and from the event centre.
|
Quite true, just look at Harbour Station here in Saint John. Last night was a sold-out concert of over 7200, and Uptown restaurants and shops were noticeably busier than normal for at least two hours before the show (I can attest to this as a resident of the area), and there was definite overflow from the concert into local bars and pubs afterward as well. This is without even mentioning the concept that the thousands of people who live in the urban core don't have to drive and park to see these kinds of concerts or sports games, and that the area is served by the primary transit routes as well. That's the whole point of trying to put a similar centre in Moncton, so that you can maximise the economic benefits of each event, as well as increasing the appeal of living in the urban core of your city (which has far-reaching implications for how your city grows and the long-term cost savings it can reap).