In September 2014, Victoria city council set out to alleviate parking issues that were plaguing the downtown core. Council decided to lure motorists into the parkades with lower rates, a free first hour and better security. Parking 鈥渁mbassadors鈥� were hired with instructions to shift emphasis away from enforcement and toward service.
It worked. Use of parkades has increased to the point where they are regularly full between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. Fears that revenue would dip because of the lower rates and because fewer parking tickets were being written proved to be unfounded. Revenue increased, as more people paid for parking.
So don鈥檛 mess with a good plan. People have adjusted to the changes in rules 鈥� don鈥檛 change them again. Want to alleviate a parking shortage? Provide more parking, don鈥檛 fiddle with rules as cars circle the block looking for spots.
Coun. Geoff Young says the parking program is a victim of its own success, and merchants have been complaining about a shortage of downtown parking. In a proposal going to council on Thursday, he wants staff to study rate options to ensure parking is available to people visiting the downtown core, as well as study how to make best use of available spaces.
Young says Victoria might have to adjust its parking rates and perhaps eliminate the first free hour of parking during peak times to free up more spaces.
But freeing up spaces means cars would have to go elsewhere. One of the aims of the parking changes was to attract people to the core. Downtown merchants are at a significant disadvantage because malls offer free parking. Tightening restrictions or raising rates would defeat one of the purposes of the 2014 plan.
Young also suggests city staff be given more authority so they can react nimbly to change rates or parking incentives as needed. But the public is not likely to be so nimble 鈥� it takes time for people to become accustomed to changes in the parking system, and they will likely become frustrated if the rules and rates keep changing with the ebb and flow of traffic.
The problem before was that street parking spaces were full and parkades were not. Now, the parkades are full at noon, but there鈥檚 still a shortage of spaces on the street. That could mean more people are coming downtown, which is a good thing, or it could mean we are losing too many parking lots to development and parking spaces to bike lanes on downtown streets.
What we need is more parking, and not more one-level surface parking lots 鈥� that would be a waste of valuable retail space. We need new parkades. Not simply drab, monolithic structures reminiscent of Soviet-era architecture, but bright and attractive facilities that will enhance the downtown ambience.
Making parking structures multi-functional helps to ensure they don鈥檛 detract from their neighbourhoods. The city-owned parking garage under the central branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library is one example. Another option is to put stores on the ground level, with upper storeys dedicated to parking 鈥� such as at the Johnson Street parkade 鈥� which also helps reduce the impact on the neighbourhood.
Precedents abound for beautiful parkades throughout North America and Europe; the city just needs to find the money for one.
Victoria is working to make downtown more welcoming to cyclists, pedestrians and mass transit, and parkades can be part of that.
Changing the parking rules every couple of years, however, is not the answer. A longer view is required.
If we can鈥檛 even sort out short-term downtown parking, how can we dream of a long-term regional transportation plan?
