The New, Improved National Stadium Will Only have 10 More Parking Spaces than the Old One.

The new national stadium that will be constructed in La Sabana park in San Jose will have the capacity to receive 35,175 spectators. The parking however is only large enough for 400 cars. The difference is so huge, it is almost unthinkable; originally an underground parking was planned, but at a cost of $10 million per floor, the plan was soon dropped.

The argument that the park needs to be protected makes a lot of sense. It would be scandalous to transform the Sabana Park, the largest green space in Costa Rica’s capital, into a huge parking, especially when efforts are made to protect green areas and trees throughout the whole country. In many countries, the parking spaces for stadiums are located some distance away and people either walk or rely on public transportation. This seems like a reasonable idea as it can avoid heavy traffic on the surrounding roads. While football games and concerts take place at night when there is less traffic, 35,000 persons and their vehicles are bound to cause some confusion. However, if they are all parked some distance away, it could make things a little easier.

The old stadium was completed in 1924 and could only hold 13,400 people with parking for 390 vehicles, which at the time of its completion was more than adequate. Now that the call for a bigger, modern stadium has been answered in the form of a gift from the Chinese government, the matter of the parking space still remains unsolved. While people can walk, it is expected that some form of transportation be offered to the public.

The director of the Urban Reorganization of the Greater Metropolitan Area Program (Prugam), Eduardo Brenes, pointed out that the small parking lot offers opportunities for surrounding businesses and Costa Rica Land holders to make some money. Studies are currently underway in order to find a solution within the next couple of months. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) together with Icoder, the train company, got together and hope to be able to organize buses and train services to and from the stadium.

A train service would be ideal, and one can only hope that this time the idea will develop into a reality, instead of never passing the planning stage as it so often occurs here. People could leave their cars in the Pacific Station and travel from there by train; no traffic, no pollution, no rush. Some extra buses will still be needed for those who do not have their own car or cannot otherwise reach the Train Station.

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (the ICE), on the other hand, sees the whole scenario as a great business opportunity; they are studying the case presently to find out how feasible it would be to add a second floor to their existing parking garage at their main office that faces La Sabana park. Their parking now holds 500 cars and it is still unknown how many spaces a second floor could have.

Let’s hope that together they can come up with a good, sound solution, something that can be completed before the opening of the stadium! A bike lane is planned for the area of La Sabana and this could take care of those who are keen on cycling. Whatever they decide, it is hoped that attending a concert or a football game in La Sabana does not become a nightmare for attendees and nearby residents and businesses.

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Filed under: Business on September 1st, 2008