500 empty parking spaces a day!

Last month the PedNet Coalition announced a contest asking participants to guess what the average number of empty parking spaces there were in the four parking garages of downtown Columbia on any given day between 10 and 11am. The counts, including hourly spaces and permit only spaces were:

• Monday: 525 (218 hourly) 
• Tuesday: 464 (221 hourly) 
• Wednesday: 534 (157 hourly) 
• Thursday: 454 (157 hourly) 
• Friday: 497 (163 hourly) 

• Overall average of 495 (187 hourly).

Winners of the contest are:

• Isaac Francisco with a guess of 480
• Greg Leonard with a guess of 269
• Jack Eastman with a guess of 245

The winners received a $50 gift certificate to Cyclextreme, Uprise Bakery, or Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café. These three local businesses also support a walkable, bikeable, pedestrian friendly downtown.