Downtown Parking Subject of Committee of the Whole Meeting
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 @ 4:00 AM
Prince George, B.C.- This evening, Council will attend a Committee of the Whole meeting to talk about downtown parking.The meeting was called after Council, in a 6-3 vote, delayed awarding of a contract for a new pay parking system for on street parking in the downtown. That final decision will now be made at Council’s regular meeting on September 23rd.
The Committee will hear from staff who have prepared a report outlining the full costs associated with on street parking. The report indicates the current system was in the red by nearly $200 thousand dollars last year. That amount includes almost $100 thousand dollars in unpaid fines (bad debt). According to Staff, the pay parking system will see bad debt reduced by half, and end the year with about $200 thousand dollars in revenue. That’s a financial shift of about $400 thousand dollars. Representatives from Aparc, the company which is the preferred proponent for the new parking system, will attend to offer an overview of the system, and to answer questions.
Then, three delegations will have their turn. The Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Improvement Association and Majestic Management. All three share the same message, that the problem in the downtown is not a parking problem, it is an enforcement problem.
But it is the Chamber of Commerce that presents a different argument, based on City policy. The Chamber questions the City’s source of funding for the equipment, saying using money from the Debt Reduction Reserve to buy the new parking system violates the City’s own Financial Sustainability policy, section 18.3
“Policy 18.3;
The City will establish a debt reduction reserve that may be used to pay out balances owing on Municipal Finance Authority issued debentures upon their 1st ten year maturities."
The Chamber says misusing money from that reserve is “an abuse of trust”.
All three delegations call for a revision to the existing bylaw, which makes it perfectly legal for vehicles to be jockeyed from spot to spot so the owner can take advantage of the 2 hour free limit. The second point raised is one of enforcement, as all three say the real issue is that violators are not paying their tickets when one has been issued, so, there should be bylaw changes that would allow towing for repeat offenders.
While the delegations support the introduction of hand held license plate recognition equipment, they say little will be accomplished if the bylaws are not changed, and if there is no enforcement.
The meeting is set for 6 this evening in the Council Chambers.
Comments
If paid parking is so necessary downtown, then do it right. A Kiosk concept is unrealistic with the cold weather we have in Prince George five months of the year. Also the Kiosk system will make a convenient place for pan-handlers to congregate. Those two draw backs will hinder people from shopping downtown. If you really need parking meters use the ones found on West Pender Street Vancouver. They are more convenient and look so space age with their beeping red lights when time is expired. Then again borrowing money out of a debt reduction fund sounds so ironic and crazy that it begs me to ask…is there any common sense at City Hall these days?
Downtown again yesterday for lunch. Never have a problem finding parking within 1/2 block or less. Where the heck do they have a problem —- right in front of the doors to the places one wants to go?
“The report indicates the current system was in the red by nearly $200 thousand dollars last year. That amount includes almost $100 thousand dollars in unpaid fines (bad debt).”
The only way you’re going to get a handle on the bad debt and the people who don’t pay their fines is to start booting and impounding vehicles. People will smarten up in a hurry.
Using debt reduction money to pay for new parking meters downtown that nobody wants, is ludicrous…… Dealing with the real problem of bylaw enforcement would make sense and wouldn’t cost us 1.2 million…..who on council will see the real issue and respond accordingly on Sept 23rd?
Only a few years ago unpaid ticket offenders got a summons to go to court. Why not anymore? Like seriously, if I get a parking ticket I can choose not to pay it or what?
The courts are backed up as it is, adding a bunch of parking violations to that isn’t going to help.
I have an idea. Why doesn’t Mayor Green and Council listen to the wish of the people that voted them in? The pay parking issue is the dumbest suggestion they can come up with. Spend over a million to put system in place to bring in a small profit if any. One good thing is I don’t know of any of the existing council that will be on council when the Games come here in 2015. No loss. Including her Princess Mayor Green.
Has anyone heard why us taxpayers are paying for more of the city workers parking and they don’t make it public?
There is a leased lot which the lease expires at the end of August. It is located at Vancouver and 4th Ave. – across from the new RCMP palace. Apparently at the end of July patrons were advised by city letter stating the city was unable to re-negotiate a new lease with the property management company who owns the lot.
Apparently the managemnt company in fact did reach an agreement with a new lease with the city. Yuppers – it will be for people working at the police station….and no longer available for public off street parking.
Don’t recall any public information on this one.
“the Kiosk system will make a convenient place for pan-handlers to congregate”
Yes, sounds like an easy way to get customers. But I have never seen that in Kelowna, and impark location in the GVRD. So, maybe it is not that easy or they are told to move on or get ticketed for panhandling.
Winter walking …. PG Citizens could use exercise. The walking distance in downtown are far shorter than the typical walks at shopping mall peak hours.
No different than walking to put a cart away and back to the car ……
Oh, wait, I forgot, PG citizens do not do that … LOL
I just want to know what the problem is.
Is it the City wants parking revenue? Is that that there are some government workers taking advantage of the system?
Because I’ve never had a problem getting a stall downtown anywhere I wanted to go.
“According to Staff, the pay parking system will see bad debt reduced by half, and end the year with about $200 thousand dollars in revenue”
So people get less fines when pay parking is in effect?
Staff are also adding unpaid fines to the tally, but they are not actually ‘costs’. The city did not pay out 100,000 and not collect it so this is a false line in the report. It is extra revenue that could balance out the 100,000 the system costs us but not an actual ‘loss’ to the city. Just look at it this way – if these fines of 100,000 were collected/paid the old system would be at zero dollars loss/profit.
That is NOT a financial shift of 400,000. They predict 50,000 (half of current) in unpaid fines for each year the new system would be in place so you could in fact say the revenue for the first year of pay parking would be 150,000 not 200,000.
Now they predict 200,000 in revenue, but didn’t they say the 1.2 million would be paid back in 5 years? That looks suspiciously like at least 6 years to me, and if in fact the books are to show unpaid parking debt and revenue at 150,000 per year we will pay back the 1.2 million in 8 years if things are rosy and no extra costs arise.
I think the “problem” is well known. The City is mismanaging downtown parking, thus is losing money.
Simple.
Downtown parking, like shopping centre parking, should be a concern of the DBIA. The City should be making an agreement between the City and the DBIA.
Basically the agreement should state the legal requirements of safety and public access and then give the other responsibilities over to the DBIA with annual reviews.
The City needs to take care of on street parking in the rest of the city. Leave downtown for the businesses to figure out.
It is always difficult to decipher a verbal report on finances. Showing a financial statement is quick, to the point, and generally all inclusive.
There is no shortage of parking spaces downtown.
At the beginning of the day most of the spaces being used are used by downtown workers, or business’s. They basically use up the first two hours. After that customers start to arrive, however there is still lots of parking spaces. So whats the problem.
Its time to get our heads out of our backsides and face the facts.
DOWNTOWN PARKING METERS ARE ALL ABOUT GENERATING REVENUE FOR THE CITY. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PARKING SPACES.
If all the employee’s and business’s people parked in the off street parking spaces, or in the parkades, or the business’s private parking spaces, the streets in the downtown would be practically empty, with the exception of Saturdays, (because of the Farmers Market)
By putting in parking meters that are more expensive than off street parking, the City is trying to fill the parkades and off street parking spaces, and at the same time generate revenue from downtown parking meters.
The whole situation is a sham, and it should be given the Royal Boot. Lets quit trying to fool the taxpayers, and get down to some serious cost reductions at City Hall.
“A Kiosk concept is unrealistic with the cold weather we have in Prince George five months of the year”
How does the rest of Canada administer parking? They get as cold or worse than PG.
or if city hall would stop with the variances to reduced the required parking spaces associated with each building, then parking would not be a problem.
or if city hall actually enforced the secure bicycle parking that is in the bylaws right after the parking requirements section of the bylaws, parking would be less of a problem.
And if stores did not place signs in their front doors about No bikes allowed, parking would be less of a problem.
Surplus Herbie’s does not support cyclists, neither does work bc, even though a majority of their clients use bicycles as their main (often only) method of local travel.
If a store or government service posts a sign regarding no bicycles, I say boycott that store.
Palopu: “If all the employee’s and business’s people parked in the off street parking spaces, or in the parkades, or the business’s private parking spaces, the streets in the downtown would be practically empty”
But people are lazy. And they generally take full advantage of something that is ‘free’. Why park a few blocks away when I can park right in front of where I work?
“Lets quit trying to fool the taxpayers, and get down to some serious cost reductions at City Hall.”
I agree. But that is only a small part of the solution. The unfortunate other part is that more revenue is needed to maintain the current infrastructure. If the City doesn’t find different ways to generate money, they will be looking to you and me (aka the taxpayers) to fill in the gap.
There was a study by an accounting firm in the late 90’s that proved they break even on the idea of parking meters. Just tow the people that get 3 tickets not paid and be done. Get those packing agents working a bit more to fine the ones taking spots. Hire some more meter maids if you have to. Still would save money.
And yes Mrs Green and folks should keep concentrating on fixing the roads in PG instead still have a long ways to go.
Got to love Books And Company’s take on this.
http://www.booksandcompany.ca/Ad%20Parking%20Slots.html
“How does the rest of Canada administer parking? They get as cold or worse than PG.”
I don’t know what the rest of Canada does for parking…Are they all using a Kiosk type of system?
Are the Cities that use them happy with the system?
Are we going to buy into something that won’t work for our current downtown with it’s many social issues?
I know before we spent a whole lot of cash to take out the free standing meters people were breaking into them, is the Kiosk tough enough to handle a twenty pound sludge- hammer?
Maybe the Kiosks will be manned with security guards to ward off any looking for bus change etc..
“I know before we spent a whole lot of cash to take out the free standing meters people were breaking into them, is the Kiosk tough enough to handle a twenty pound sludge- hammer?”
Who carries change anymore? I would think the majority of transactions at the kiosk would be credit and/or debit cards.
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