The cost to park on the street in downtown Victoria goes up Monday and city parkade rates will be slashed as the city’s plan to drive more motorists to use parkades kicks into gear.
The price of parking in any one of about 840 metered stalls within a three-minute walk of any downtown parkade will increase to $3 an hour from $2.50. Compared to that, using a parkade will be a bargain.
The first hour in a parkade will be free (no merchant coupon required) and the hourly rate after that will be $2. That means parking in a city parkade costs $2 for two hours compared to $3 for one hour on the street.
The city is also making parking free in parkades from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following day. Parking is free both on the streets and in parkades Sundays and holidays. And rates for parking on the street in some less-congested areas will be reduced.
“What we’re trying to do is have people utilize the parkades, make it easier and more convenient for them and ultimately even cheaper for short-term parking,” said Dwayne Kalynchuk, city director of engineering.
Mayor Dean Fortin called the plan an innovative way to free up parking on the street, charging more for in-demand areas and less in areas that are not in high demand.
Coun. Lisa Helps said it remains to be seen if the changes will have the desired effect. “When I say [that] starting next Monday, parking in parkades is free the first hour in parkades and free after six, there’s a little bit of light that happens in people’s eyes. So we’ll see if this is actually going to solve the problem it’s meant to.”
Kalynchuk acknowledged that enticing people back into city parkades, which have an unsavory reputation as unsafe and unclean, will be an uphill battle.
Although statistics show police calls to parkades have dropped dramatically, he said, many people continue to have negative perceptions.
“Certainly we’ve spent a lot of effort in cleaning the parkades and in making them safer for people. We did a fair amount of painting and light changes, so hopefully, as people come back to the parkades, they’ll notice a difference,” he said.
The city is also offering a SafeWalk service, in which motorists have the option of calling a parkade security guard to meet and accompany them to their car. Each parkade has its own SafeWalk phone number posted on signs in parkades, information materials and on the city’s website.
Bruce Carter, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said parking rates are not the biggest problem.
“The biggest concern that we have isn’t so much the change in rates but is assuring that we’ve addressed the over-zealous parking enforcement,” Carter said.
To that end, the city is also planning kinder, gentler parking enforcement.
City staff and security guards who work in city parkades have undergone customer-service training to underscore their role as “ambassadors” for downtown Victoria, according to the city.
Kalynchuk said the city’s contract with the Corps of Commissionaires expires this year and will be under review.
The city is also planning to work with the Downtown Victoria Business Association to develop an ambassador-focused training program for parking- enforcement officers for delivery next spring.
Carter is skeptical, saying the real issue that has to be addressed is the city’s reliance on parking revenue. The city budgeted for $16.1 million in gross revenues from parking this year.
“As long as the message to the contractor is: ‘You’re going to maximize revenue,’ then you’re going to have over-zealous enforcement of parking.”
Beginning Monday in city parkades:
• First hour is free.
• Evening parking is free Monday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
• Parking is free on Sundays and holidays.
• Rates have been reduced to $2 per hour (charged in 15-minute increments), Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• The vehicle day rate at a city parkade is $12 ($14 at Bastion Square Parkade due to higher demand).
• The motorcycle day rate at a city parkade is $4. (Motorcycle parking is available at city parkades except at Johnson Street parkade).
• A lost ticket will be charged the day rate.
• Lower levels are signed as short-term, three-hour maximum parking Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Longer-term parking is available on mid and upper levels at city parkades (lower levels at Broughton, as it’s an underground parkade).
• More payment options offered.
• A SafeWalk service provides the option of calling a parkade security guard to meet and accompany a motorist to their vehicle.
Street parking beginning Monday:
• There are five parking zones ranging from $1.50 to $3 per hour with 90-minute to 24-hour time limits in effect Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 837 on-street parking spaces increase to $3 per hour.
• 533 on-street parking spaces decrease: 358 to $2 per hour; 175 to $1.50 per hour.
• 620 on-street spaces remain unchanged at $2.50 per hour.
Other parking initiatives planned for this fall:
• Pay by cell. Customers will be able to pay for on-street parking on their mobile devices.
• Starting Monday, CRD elected officials who have a city parking permit will park in a city parkade instead of on the street.
• An Art in Parkades public art project.
• Review of the commissionaires’ contract.
• Revitalization of the Parking Review Office to make the space more welcoming and easier to find.
• Investigation of parking-ticket adjudication practices.
• Review of specialty parking spaces in parkades, such as spaces for individuals with disabilities and parents with young children.
• Review of specialty parking spaces on-street, including loading zones, to ensure efficient use of space and improve the movement of downtown traffic.
• Expanding on-street metered areas in congested areas.
• Developing advertising polices for pay stations and in parkades to generate revenue to continue to improve downtown parking facilities.€
