Council to Reduce Hours on Some Meters

Following a review of parking meter usage in the downtown, Parking Services has identified a number of streets on which parking meter time allotments will be reduced from either four or ten hours maximum to two hours.

“Parking meters are intended for short-term parking,” explained Councillor Sandy Hickman, Acting Chair of the Standing Committee on Community Services and Housing. “Our review of occupancy has identified a number of meters being used for long-term parking that we would like to make available to short-term users.

“With two new parking garages offering ample spaces, we feel the time is right to return the previous two-hour maximum,” said Councillor Hickman.

The change is scheduled to begin on May 1, 2016; Parking Enforcement Officers will be distributing information to frequent users of the following streets before the new maximum time is implemented:

• Harbour Drive
• Clift Baird’s Cove
• Bishop’s Cove
• Beck’s Cove
• Queen Street
• George Street
• Adelaide Street

Due to a previous shortage of long term parking in the downtown, many meters in the downtown were assigned longer time allotments up to and including ten hours. However, in partnership with the City of St. John’s, two new parking garages were recently created in the downtown, which provide 461 new parking spaces in a combination of monthly and transient spaces.

Parking meter industry standard identifies 85% occupancy as the most desirable outcome for municipalities to ensure both revenue and availability of spaces.

“These streets far exceed this standard,” Hickman explained, “essentially turning them into parking lots during the day. We would prefer to have more parking spaces available for people visiting the downtown, which both Downtown St. John’s and the St. John’s Board of Trade agree is in the best interests of visitors and businesses alike.”
 
Media Contact:
Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John's
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca