Parking Madness: Rochester vs. Miami

We’re seeing all sorts of parking craters as the 2014 Parking Madness tournament rolls on: pockmarked craters, endless abysses, deep caverns. Excess parking in cities takes many forms. And so we ask you to help us judge which is the worst, using the only method that can be applied consistently across all parking craters — online polling.

Up today, we have a wintry northeastern burgh and a sunny Florida metropolis: It’s Rochester vs. Miami.

Let’s start off with Rochester:

rochester

Submitter Matthew Denker describes the empty heart of this grotesque parking cluster: “It’s an intersection with surface parking at all 4 corners. There is literally no reason to have a road here when it’s just a sea of parking. Even better (worse) you can see a massive parking garage on the left edge on the same block, and if you move just a hair north, you can see a park that was cut in half by a highway. And of course the area used to be the main square of Rochester and where the town Christmas tree was raised.”

Interestingly, Rochester recently received some funds to fill in portions of the Inner Loop highway, shown at the very top. Unfortunately, it’s not this part of town that will see the improvement, says Denker.

Now, on to Miami:

miami

Submitter Rob Wag tells us these shadowy, cavernous craters are made worse by their location: “Million dollar parking views, overlooking the Miami River and Biscayne Bay.”

Perhaps there’s hope for Miami, however, as some developers are constructing new residential towers with no on-site parking whatsoever.

parking_madness_2014_6

Which city has the worst parking crater?

View Results

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Parking Madness Final Four: Kansas City vs. Rochester

|
The hunt for the worst parking crater on earth nears its epic conclusion with the second Final Four match of Parking Madness. Today’s matchup features a formidable entry from Kansas City and the upstart parking crater from Rochester, New York, which knocked out Detroit in the previous round. The winner will take on Jacksonville tomorrow for […]

Parking Madness 2015: Can Your Parking Crater Compete?

|
  March is a special month on Streetsblog. It’s the time when the nation’s worst downtown parking scars face off head-to-head for the shame of winning the “golden crater” — and the local publicity bonanza that comes with it. For the third year running, we’re asking you to help seed the bracket in our Parking […]

Parking Madness Final Four: Chicago vs. Jacksonville

|
We started with 16 parking craters and now we’re down to the Final Four of Parking Madness. After two bruising rounds of competition, four hideous parking expanses in Kansas City, Rochester, Chicago, and Jacksonville are still in it to win it. Each one is an ugly and awe-inspiring waste of potential in its own way. Today’s […]

Parking Madness: Send Us Pics of Parking Lots Where Your City Should Be

|
Does your city have what it takes to compete in Streetsblog’s fourth annual Parking Madness tournament? Who will join Tulsa, Rochester, and Camden, NJ, as winners of the coveted “Golden Crater”? We’re looking for 16 parking scars blighting American downtowns. One will advance through our bracket to achieve lasting infamy — and hopefully some hometown coverage that […]