'Cell-phone' parking lot could ease traffic at airport
OIA will set aside spaces where drivers can park and wait for a call from arriving passengers.
Sara K. Clarke | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 22, 2006
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If you've ever circled Orlando International Airport waiting for a passenger to meet you at baggage pick-up, relief may be in sight.
By Thanksgiving, the airport hopes to offer a so-called cell-phone parking lot where drivers can park and wait for passengers to call and let them know they've landed and picked up their bags.
The lots, already at airports in San Diego, Philadelphia and other major cities, help keep traffic off airport roads. That's the idea at Orlando International, where officials also are considering other ways to ease congestion.
Among them: using areas that have been restricted since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, including a road that runs under the terminal.
"Everybody agrees we need to get traffic off the roadways," said Jeffry Fuqua, chairman of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which heard details on the plans Wednesday.
About 100 parking spots in the red satellite lot will provide a place for drivers waiting for arriving passengers, said Chris Schmidt, deputy executive director of airport operations.
The average driver circles the airport three times while waiting for travelers to exit the baggage area, and some make as many as 20 loops, Schmidt said. Cars are not allowed to park curbside and wait for passengers.
But with the new lot, drivers can park and wait for a call from their passenger. Waiting motorists can also use the 511 call system to monitor the status of flights, he said.
The lot should be ready by Thanksgiving, airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said. The estimated cost is $250,000.
Schmidt also presented plans to create 700 spaces of overflow parking on the site of the old terminal building, and plans for eliminating rental car service traffic from the public access roads.
The rental car service tunnel, which runs between the A and B sides of the airport, could be reopened, taking as many as 2,000 rental cars off the public access roads each day.
Secondly, airport officials could reopen the terminal service road to rental car companies, allowing them to shuttle cars to and from maintenance facilities.
The solution, which requires expanding a security checkpoint, could take 9,000 vehicles off the public roads daily.
Airport officials also are looking at how to best use the "Fourth Curb," an under-terminal roadway that once served as a taxi bay. The road has been restricted since 9-11, but officials said it could be reopened if two vehicle checkpoints are installed.
A use for the space is still up in the air, but premium short-term parking and valet services are on the list of revenue-earning possibi
OIA will set aside spaces where drivers can park and wait for a call from arriving passengers.
Sara K. Clarke | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 22, 2006
ADVERTISEMENTS
If you've ever circled Orlando International Airport waiting for a passenger to meet you at baggage pick-up, relief may be in sight.
By Thanksgiving, the airport hopes to offer a so-called cell-phone parking lot where drivers can park and wait for passengers to call and let them know they've landed and picked up their bags.
The lots, already at airports in San Diego, Philadelphia and other major cities, help keep traffic off airport roads. That's the idea at Orlando International, where officials also are considering other ways to ease congestion.
Among them: using areas that have been restricted since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, including a road that runs under the terminal.
"Everybody agrees we need to get traffic off the roadways," said Jeffry Fuqua, chairman of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which heard details on the plans Wednesday.
About 100 parking spots in the red satellite lot will provide a place for drivers waiting for arriving passengers, said Chris Schmidt, deputy executive director of airport operations.
The average driver circles the airport three times while waiting for travelers to exit the baggage area, and some make as many as 20 loops, Schmidt said. Cars are not allowed to park curbside and wait for passengers.
But with the new lot, drivers can park and wait for a call from their passenger. Waiting motorists can also use the 511 call system to monitor the status of flights, he said.
The lot should be ready by Thanksgiving, airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said. The estimated cost is $250,000.
Schmidt also presented plans to create 700 spaces of overflow parking on the site of the old terminal building, and plans for eliminating rental car service traffic from the public access roads.
The rental car service tunnel, which runs between the A and B sides of the airport, could be reopened, taking as many as 2,000 rental cars off the public access roads each day.
Secondly, airport officials could reopen the terminal service road to rental car companies, allowing them to shuttle cars to and from maintenance facilities.
The solution, which requires expanding a security checkpoint, could take 9,000 vehicles off the public roads daily.
Airport officials also are looking at how to best use the "Fourth Curb," an under-terminal roadway that once served as a taxi bay. The road has been restricted since 9-11, but officials said it could be reopened if two vehicle checkpoints are installed.
A use for the space is still up in the air, but premium short-term parking and valet services are on the list of revenue-earning possibi
