Pondering parking-fee hikes downtown
Start saving those loonies.
Dollar-an-hour parking in the downtown is back on the agenda on Tuesday, Feb. 19, as Kamloops city council considers a package of parking changes originally pitched by the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association.
The $1.7-million upgrade would see the city’s aging parking meters scrapped and replaced with digital pay stations, which track cars by licence-plate number.
The new stations would offer parking at a rate of $1 per hour for the first two hours, as well as an additional hour of parking for $2.
Staff are recommending more fee increases in the coming years, with an hour of parking going for $1.25 in 2015 and $1.50 by 2018.
The hikes are meant to keep Kamloops in line with other communities of a similar size, according to a staff report prepared for council.
Meter rates in the city haven’t changed in nearly two decades.
The last fee increase took place in 1994.
Along with the cost increase, parking tickets would also go up in price, from $5 if paid in the first 24 hours to $10.
The increased fees and technological changes could net the city another $920,000 in parking revenue each year.
While more than half that cash will be go toward operational costs and paying for the new pay stations, about $390,000 would go into a new reserve, which could pay for other parking projects in the future.
After today’s debate, the public will get a chance to weigh in on the new plans.
City council will host a forum on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at Interior Savings Centre to discuss the parking proposals and collect feedback.
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