Parking meter expansion proposed
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, March 14, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Streets in the city's downtown core may soon be lined with more parking meters, after city council voted unanimously Monday for administration to explore options to improve parking in the area.
The city is currently looking at expanding the amount of parking meters it has in the downtown core. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
Included in the motion was a recommendation directing administration to review the impact of adding parking meters on streets which currently don't have them.
"We have a fairly well-defined downtown core and it hasn't been entirely logical that only certain areas are metered and others aren't," said Mayor Mark Heyck.
Several councillors at Monday's council meeting pointed out that businesses without meters in front of them have been complaining of motorists parking in front of their stores all day, thereby occupying potential parking spots for their customers.
"We've heard from business that are on those un-metered streets and they basically have people who are working downtown basically parking for free in front of their businesses all day long," said Heyck, who pointed out that a primary purpose of parking meters is to maintain the flow of traffic.
The city collected just over $500,000 in revenue from parking meters in 2013.
According to a 2013 report by the city, parking spots with meters in the downtown core have a 60 per cent occupancy rate, while non-metered spaces have an occupancy rate of
88 per cent. Currently
there are 584 metered parking spaces downtown and 1,005 non-metered spaces.
It's too early to tell how many of the non-metered spaces are on the table, said Jeff Humble, director of planning and development, but administration will be looking at how to maximize the use of those spaces, including providing residential parking passes for homeowners with parking meters in front of their properties.
"Whether or not there's a fee for that is something we would have to look at," said Humble.
Under the current proposed expansion, administration will be looking at extending parking meters meters north to 46 Street and 54 Street to the south, and as far east as 52 Avenue.
According to Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, the cost of a new meter head ranges from $500 to $800.
As part of that initiative, the city will be reviewing whether the time limits for certain parking meters, which vary between two and nine hours depending on their location, should be adjusted.
A bylaw to amend the city's on-street parking requirements received first reading Monday. One aspect of the amended bylaw would allow developers to build only half the required parking stalls on their properties providing they pay the city cash in lieu. That money will go to a reserve fund, which the city has suggested could be used to build a parkade.
"These initiatives really go hand in hand," said Humble of the bylaw and the proposed addition of new meters. "To look at them completely separately misses the point of us trying to get more development in the downtown."
