There’s not a single meter or pay lot in Quesnel.In fact the Quesnel City provides free downtown parking lots and—free parking at the Airport for as long as you are gone. There’s no pay for parking in Quesnel. Period !!

The math to go to the Paid by License Plate system does not seem to support that model. Sounds like a big money loser.

Free parking failed in downtown PG because it was abused by people who work downtown and the City was either unwilling or unable to enforce the 2 hour limit (or whatever it was). Even with the supposed ‘limit’, people just shuffled their cars around.

That all being said, 1.1 million to bring it back seems ludicrous. This parking thing is turning into another boondoggle.

The city can stuff this idea!

JohnnyBelt,
I think that is part of the problem. There is no 2 hour limit to park in the downtown.

There is a 2 hour limit for any one block in the downtown. Right now it is perfectly legal to shuffle your car around every two hours.

We had a similar choice in our household a couple weeks ago. We were debating between buying a treadmill, at $1400, or joining the Y for a few months, at around $40 a month. Rather than spending that, we took the temporary membership.

Leave it alone!

The reason that the “Free Parking” was “abused”, is because there is not enough.

Again, the rule makers have missed the obvious.

These are the same rule makers that allowed developers to get exemptions to the required number of parking spaces (per bylaw) for a given facility.

Think of the pharmasave and the other new developments on that block. I am sure that I recall a story about Mr Major being granted such an exemption.

They have shootsinfoot syndrome.

By allowing any developments to proceed with inadequate parking spaces, they making the consumers pay more.

Downtown Revitalization my sweet behind!
More like “Let’s lie to the public while making more secret back door deals”.

How can you tell if a politician is lying?
Their lips are moving.

How can you tell if a developer will fulfill ALL obligations?
You can’t, because they won’t.

How can you tell if a politician is in bed with a developer?
Easy, that is the status quo.

Then they feed us lines like, “It will be good for the economy”.

I am still waiting for my share of the improved economy.

I’m all for pay parking downtown but 1.1 million dollars? Holy cow! That’s insane.

Just give us a bunch of meters and forget about this punching in your license nonsense. Carry a receipt? Good grief, let’s generate some more garbage.

loki: “The reason that the “Free Parking” was “abused”, is because there is not enough.”

Nonsense. There are plenty of pay parking lots where employees are ‘supposed’ to park, but many were unwilling to pay for a spot when there were perfctly good free spots in front of downtown businesses.

Forget this idea, which is from the same guy that cannot control unleashed dogs in Prince George’s trails and streets.

I sure hope City Council recognizes how stuid this is and doesn’t put it in. Why doesn’t the report tell us how much the city will make? Maybe because it won’t, for years anyways.

Didn’t shop downtown much before it definitely will be less now

What about the option of keeping free parking and focusing on big issues instead of a piddly $80K per year that would only be squandered in trips to China anyway?

Great idea! I am sure Walmart will suport it 100%!

Another great way for the city to double dip at the expense of the people. If the old system brought in $80k, the pay by plate will bring in a lot more. With the old meter system, if I am running into a store for 30 minutes, I buy an hour at the meter in case I am longer.. The next guy behind me gets my extra time when I leave and doesn’t pay for it again.. The pay by plate system nullifies the time I leave the next person, so when I buy the extra time, the person behind me can’t use it. He/She has to pay for that spot again, even though I had already paid for it, there for the city gets to charge twice for the spot for the overlapping time period. Vancouver has the option of pay by plate, but they also allow the old meter system as well, your choice.. I see our city doesn’t want to give us that choice, which really shows me they have chosen this system for only 1 reason, to double charge on all spots and gouge us some more.

There’s quite literally, no incentive to be in the downtown core, for the purposes of shopping, going to restaurants, even hotels. You can find anything you could want elsewhere, like Parkwood, Pine Centre, in College Heights, even on the Hart. All of those areas have free parking, and services of equal quality.
Pay to park, and put up with all the typical downtown PG crap? Please.
Another PG cash grab. Add that to the driveway unblocking fee. (isnt that covered by property taxes?)

What do we call abuse of the downtown parking? There are way more other abuses happening downtown than over-staying your parking time. Like substance abuse, alcohol abuse, panhandling etc. That’s abuse of the people who want to go downtown and shop or eat dinner there. I’m not saying that it happens everytime I go downtown but it happens enough.

Wow talk about going overboard! We don’t need to control the space shuttle we just need freaking parking meters! Low tech low cost.

$1.1 million dollars, eh? Chump change, my friend. Last November during the last election the city’s debt was $111 million dollars. How much interest per year do we pay? When the city gets a receipt from the people they owe all this money to, do they get a little notice on their receipt to the tune of “If you, Prince George keep making minimum payment of yer hunnert million dollar debt it should be paid off in March, 2131. What’s a million bucks. Think of a Home Depot credit card debt of say,…$111 dollars. What’s another loonie, eh? Gotta just put everything in perspective. Right?

$1.1 million is only 36 trips to China – pffft

Who the dickens is recommending this? Is Bylaw Services Manager Guy Gusdal the only person? What are the other 5 options?

Guess where I am going on November 13th,,,

Another fantastic idea brought to you by the same group that wanted a 10 million dollar dike, built an energy system that cost 40% more to heat buildings than convention heating systems, made sure a private firm made an easy 1/2 million bucks on the PG hotel purchase.
Wow, why not spend 1.1 million for downtown parking. Throw in a 50 million dollar PAC while your at it.
To bad the tickets to China were not one way.

Honestjoe wrote: “Forget this idea, which is from the same guy that cannot control unleashed dogs in Prince George’s trails and streets.”

Love it!!!! Bang on!!!!

Did we get a quote from Impark? They maight be able to do it at no cost to the city for some key streets.

City of pg needs to buy a load for the lotto max draw for Friday and hopefully they win!

This City needs to learn how to work WITH people not AGAINST people!!

We need a recall bylaw so that we can recall City councilors.

RE: “Before the free parking pilot project was introduced in early 2009, the City recorded a net revenue of $80 thousand dollars from the metered parking system. When the meters were removed, that plunged to an $80 thousand dollar net loss.”

OK … so the City’s numbers are off, but I’m pretty sure all the businesses in the downtown area affected by meters must have seen at least a combined $80,000 net gain. I certainly don’t hestitate to run downtown for things now (hello Northern Hardware), but bring back paid parking – no way in hell (goodbye Northern Hardware, hello Central Building Supply).

Just a thought, but all this money is being spent because some citizens of PG are not honest. Coin meters worked fine – if certain people didn’t feel a need to destroy them for a few bucks in change. The same people complain about empty food banks, poor social housing etc. Yet, 1.1 million will be spent, with an annual interest cost of $50,000.00, because they needed a few bucks for their drug habit. Had they left the meters alone, that money could have done so much more good. Now, the sinkhole just got a little deeper, the PG taxpayer has a few less dollars, and maybe he might just be a little less generous next time someone asks him to donate to a food bank. Drugs is a complex problem, and maybe I’m being simplistic, but someone has to be accountable at some point in time.

If the City needs to raise $80,000 a year, do it by putting a levy on the downtown property taxes. It doesn’t cost $1.1 million and it doesn’t chase away the customers.

“Forget this idea, which is from the same guy that cannot control unleashed dogs in Prince George’s trails and streets.”

Or illegally parked trucks in residential areas.

The business’s downtown better get on this issue, or they will be looking at a loss of business.

Thier present system if done properly is sufficient. Part of thier problem is the inability to collect the money after they issue the ticket. Seems to me they have a huge amount of money outstanding, which they then turn over to a collection agency, who also has trouble collecting the money.

Lets keep in mind that the 750 people who work for the City in various jobs, etc; get free parking, but they want to ensure that everyone else who works in the City has to pay. Whats wrong with this picture.

The first people that this system (if implemented) should be tested on, is City employee’s the Mayor, anc Council. No more freebee’s.

Anyone with half a brain and a blowhole, working with the DBIA, and other business’s could try and ensure that their employee’s do not park in the streets. This might mean paying part of the cost of parking for the employee. In addition they could get a list of all employee’s license plate numbers, and if they have repeat offenders, their boss’s could talk them.

I wonder if this system is being proposed so that then the City can say. We decided not to implement this system, however we are going to bring back meters as **plan 2**

After all is said and done, who is complaining about the parking downtown??? Surely not business. They are againt pay parking, certainly not the people who work downtown, certainly not the people who shop downtown. So where is the problem.

If we all abided by the present parking rules downtown, the City would not make a red cent. So the fact of the matter is in order for them to make money under the present system, we have to abuse it.

This is another mediocre money grab by small town politicians.

This is friggin insane. 1.1 million to make up for a 80k loss in revenue? Downtown was showing signs of life in the last few years. I work downtown. I have had no problems finding a parking spot. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Unbelievably stupid.

why is it costing 80k, did we forget to fire the last worker on the dole out.

Leave good alone, downtown is recovering. let it recover before you bring it back

If your serious about pay parking, how about a monthly parking pass for $20.00 or a annual pass for $150.00. If your vehicle don’t have it. than you get a ticket. this could run with the smart meters.

not to hard. allows people not to be running to a meter half a block away.

PG needs all businesses, in every area of the city, to thrive, why hobble the downtown with pay parking on the streets?
It would not be difficult to ensure that free parking is not abused, give downtown workers a cut rate on a space in an existing parking lot.
This scheme is either a smokescreen, or somebody at city hall has been bamboozled by a consummate salesperson, perhaps the son or daughter of the guy who first sold refrigeration to Eskimos. Gus guydoll must have been watching too many episodes of Parking Wars; Hey! it works for Philly!
metalman.

Oops, Guy gusdal, sorry;)
metalman.

This City seems to think they are as big as Edmonton or Calgary. We aren’t and we should act like it.

Sure let Impark do it! No ticket, parked crooked, parked on the line, bam 30.00 dollar fine. Impark gets 20.00 the city gets 10.00.

So isnt the revenue lost and the cost for no pay parking the same as what it is going to cost to run this system per year…$160,000. Where is the advantage in that?

“Lets keep in mind that the 750 people who work for the City in various jobs, etc; get free parking”

CNC employees do not get free parking. I belueve that is true for UNBC employees as well.

I worked downtown for some 3 years and the small company provided free parking at the BDC building which was a two block walk. I suspect we were not the only ones who received parking as a “perk”.

This city is not the only one which has the problem of employees using customer street parking for their long term parking. I would like to hear from the City waht they have done to explore what some other cities have done and which was/is the most successful. I wonder, for instance, if they are working with the DBIA on this as well as the larger employers.

Making me pay for down town parking means I will only go down town when I have to, and go else where when I can. Simple as that. Who looses? the downtown businesses

From the City of Yorkton …. pasted here for those who do not like links.
===============================

The City of Yorkton wishes to advise that the 2 hour free parking provision was put in place at the request of customers and business owners in the downtown district.

Map of public parking areas

Subsequent to their input, a random survey of the public and an extensive review on the utilization of on street parking was conducted. The objective was to provide easy, accessible on-street parking for customers to come and shop freely in the downtown core. The review of on-street parking utilization established that a large percentage of the parking stalls were being utilized by employees, thereby limiting the amount of on street parking that was available for customers.

Due to employees moving from one side of the block to the other, an amendment to the Traffic Bylaw was later passed limiting 2 hour free parking on the same block. What this means is that you may park once in one parking stall up to a maximum of 2 hours between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and may park once again in one parking stall up to a maximum of 2 hours between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Numerous warning tickets were issued prior to any violations actually being issued. Our Commissionaire is very conscientious with respect to the issuance of violations and the intent of the bylaw is not to impose a restriction on customers but to attempt to limit employees of the downtown business core from utilizing on-street parking extensively.

In an attempt to encourage employees to park in the parking lots versus on the street the parking lot permit fees were drastically reduced. The Bylaw provides for permits to be issued for all parking lots, excepting the one on Second Avenue N. at rates of $10.00 for a monthly permit, $20.00 for a 3 month permit, $30.00 for a 6 month permit and $50.00 for a yearly permit. Employees would be required to walk one-half to one block to their place of employment, but would not be subject to a violation. While an issue is being made of this matter, free parking has resulted in a positive impact to the downtown business core.

It is not the responsibility of the City of Yorkton to provide businesses in the downtown core with parking arrangements for their staff. However, we have endeavored to provide them inexpensive parking in the parking lots to achieve the desired effect of having accessible parking for customers.

The City of Yorkton held several meetings with the Downtown Business Association and all amendments to the Traffic Bylaw have been done in response to customer and business demand. It is absolutely impossible to please everyone. If Employees Park on the streets then the customers will once again complain that they do not have sufficient parking and advise that they will visit the malls only.

While the patrons and employees at the Casino did create a concern with respect to on-street parking, this problem has been alleviated through a lease with the Casino for a parking lot on Second Avenue N. as well as designating the parking lot next to their business as paid parking only.

While the solution is certainly not perfect, we have endeavored to try and meet the needs of the majority of residents in our community.

Our downtown is a vital part of our community and we hope to maintain it as such.

http://www.yorkton.ca/dept/admin/downtownparking.asp

On street pay parking should be introduced around the hospital. Parking is crazy there.

“On street pay parking should be introduced around the hospital. Parking is crazy there.”

There’s usually lots of spots in the pay parking lot. But again, people would rather park on the street.

In any case, the pay parking at the hospital is set up poorly. It should be more like the long-term parking at the airport where you get a ticket at the gate and pay on the way out depending on how long you were there.