Angle parking ‘not recommended’ downtown

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Public Works director Ben Kester presented council with a report on parking in the downtown area prepared by LEA Consulting. The report ran to more than 60 pages, to which was attached many more pages of appendices.

Summarized, the report was the result of a study done to assess parking needs in the Downtown Revitalization Area. It found there were 307 off-street parking spaces in eight municipal lots and 162 on-street spaces. In addition, the report said there are 749 spaces in 51 private parking lots. The report noted that only about four per cent of the off-street parking supply and three per cent of the on-street parking supply is designated as handicapped parking. Eighteen accessible spaces are available across the 51 off-street private parking lots.

The report said a conservative estimate indicates downtown parking demand is expected to increase by 42 spaces by 2031, 78 spaces by 2041, and 114 spaces by 2051. It said removing all the parking spaces on the municipal lot on Brock Street (behind the former Coffee Time/Circle K) would not have a negative effect on parking spaces.

However, LEA Consulting did recommend that angle parking on Brock Street be discarded in favour of parallel parking, resulting in the loss of up to eight spaces. The report said removal of angle parking spaces would allow for other features, including landscaping, active transportation facilities and street furniture.