Pay By Phone Expanding to Water Street as Pay Station Roll out on Hold

In June 2021, prior to road closures to facilitate the Downtown Pedestrian Mall, several pay stations were moved from Water Street and relocated to other areas in the downtown core. The installation of additional pay stations on Water Street was originally scheduled for this fall but is on hold because the battery in some pay stations requires frequent manual servicing and is not sustainable or an efficient use of resources.

To address this, staff are working diligently with the pay station provider, and we hope to have an update on this soon.

To encourage parking turnover and generate parking revenue, PayByPhone is being expanded to Water Street in January 2022, from Adelaide Street to Cochrane Street. Apart from commercial parking, Water Street parking will be primarily PayByPhone.

The pay stations currently on Water Street near Queen Street will remain, as will the pay stations along Duckworth Street.

Pay By Phone Roll Out on Water Street

Signs will be installed early January, while communications will be ongoing. Once all signs are installed, a grace period from January 3 to 16 will allow time for motorists to adjust to using PayByPhone, and for the City to promote the various parking options available in the downtown core. Enforcement will begin on Monday, Jan. 17.

The expansion of PayByPhone to Water Street is an interim measure, anticipated to be in place until pay stations can be added to the area.

Currently, all on street parking is enforced using a combination of PayByPhone, pay stations, and Timed Parking Areas. See the parking map here or visit the city’s website for details. There are alternatives to PayByPhone in the downtown such as pay stations, timed parking, and private garages.

In all areas where public parking is available, motorists need to look for signs when parking to indicate the restrictions in the area.

Paid on-street parking is an important part of having a sustainable and effective transportation network and generates funding used for City operations. The public are reminded that payment is not required for parking after 6 p.m. weekdays or on weekends.

Frequently Asked Questions are available here.