Prime parking spots to double in price

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This article was published 05/07/2012 (5128 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Parking rates on high-use downtown streets are slated to double from a loonie to a toonie per hour, as city council is accepting a year-old recommendation by the Winnipeg Parking Authority.

The city is also poised to start metred parking one hour earlier, at 8 a.m., and extend meter parking to 8:30 p.m. in selected blocks around MTS Centre.

On Friday, council’s alternate service delivery committee, which oversees the Winnipeg Parking Authority and other city special operating agencies, will review the proposed changes as well as the WPA’s 2012 business plan.

As proposed last year, the parking authority calls for increasing parking rates in portions of downtown as part of an effort to ensure more turnover and push longer-term parking off streets and into lots and parkades.

“The basic pricing principle for generating this turnover is that on-street parking should be more expensive over the longer term than off-street parking,” the city said today in a statement. “A vacancy rate of 15 per cent will allow nine out of 10 motorists to find on-street parking within three blocks of their destination without having to circle and look for an open space.”

The parking authority found the institution of higher rates around two city hospitals increased turnover.

It’s recommending later hours around MTS Centre because it found motorists would swoop in at 5:30 p.m. and snag all the spots for the evening for free.

The recommendation for earlier starting hours came out of last year’s business plan.

The parking authority is also asking council to amend a parking bylaw to prevent “re-metering” to ensure cars can park no longer than two hours in the same spot in high-use areas of downtown or four hours around St. Boniface Hospital and Health Sciences Centre.

This latter change will not affect mobile food trucks or carts if they have a valid license, the city says.

The high-use areas of downtown affected by the rate increases are online.

Pending approval on Friday, the rate hike and the rest of the proposed changes face council approval on July 18.