This communication is intended to clarify the 2 hour free pilot project as it is currently being administered. At the Council meeting of June 25, 2007, the following resolution was passed:
“THAT staff from Economic Development and Tourism, Operations and Finance be directed to work with representatives of the Downtown Board of Management to develop a two-hour free downtown “pilot parking program, which includes performance measurements and targets to be implemented.”
City staff working in conjunction with representatives of the Downtown Guelph Business Association met on several occasions to develop a mutually acceptable 2 hour free pilot program as directed by Council. The result of these discussions, in light of a best practice review of other municipalities, is the currently operating program where a person can park their vehicle at any parking metered space downtown for as many times as desired, within a maximum window of 2 hours . The 2 hour limit commences from the time the vehicle is first observed. This was preferred over a no “re-parking” restriction as the working group was of the opinion this would be most effective at curbing abuse while keeping the parking requirements clear for users and enforcement staff.
Enforcement Practice:
Currently the enforcement staff walk a predetermined zone and enter the licence plate numbers of all vehicles observed parked on-street. It should be noted that vehicles using the existing Public Loading Zones or vehicles actively loading/unloading on-street do not have their licence plates recorded and are not subject to the 2 hour limit.If a licence plate is re-entered after 2 hours or more has lapsed (regardless if the vehicle is parked in the same location or not) the vehicle is in violation of the program and is ticketed for exceeding the 2 hour time limit. The officer continues their patrol and should the same vehicle licence plate be entered a third time, a second ticket is issued but only if an additional 2 hours has again lapsed. Identified repeat offenders, who have been previously warned of their abuse to the 2 hour program, are ticketed for continued violations of parking in excess time. While there is no formal “courtesy” period given prior to a ticket being issued, the time between first being observed and receiving a ticket is approximately 3 hours.
It is of note that the current program may result in a vehicle being observed in the morning and then once again in the afternoon. It is not possible to distinguish whether the operator of the vehicle is a person undertaking two separate trips to the downtown on the same day or a merchant/employee abusing the program.
To address this scenario, upon complaint from the general public, staff have been instructed to pay for such tickets from the parking promotion account and to use the opportunity to educate the customer on the program and parking options to avoid tickets in the future.
15 Minute Parking Zones:
Some members of the public have a legitimate need to come downtown several times daily and some families have only one vehicle operated by more than one person. It is recognized the program does not take these situations into account. In conjunction with the Downtown Guelph Business Association (DGBA), staff have identified other locations, in addition to existing Public Loading Zones, where the 2 hour free space will be substituted with a 15 minute permissive parking zones. These new zones can be promoted for short term and repeat trips downtown.Units of Measure:
To determine the impact of the two hour free parking pilot project staff from the Operations Department and the DGBA will be garnering the following information:Ticketing information – number, time limited vs. parking meter violations, difference in revenue
Number of identified abusers
Prosecution of time limited parking violations and enforcement issues (if any)
Number and dollar value of tickets paid by the City for second violations during the pilot
Tracking of public/merchant comments
Impact on revenue in off street facilities
Impact on occupancy in off street facilities
% increase of sales at varied businesses
Available space downtown compared before and after 2 hour pilot projectEducational Material:
When the pilot project was launched the local media was heavily used in an attempt to make the public aware of the program. In addition to this posters and coupons offering information on the program were given out to each store for display and distribution to their customers. Despite these efforts, concerns continue to be received of lack of awareness/knowledge of the program. To address this staff will launch a campaign that highlights for the public the availability of and the intent of short term parking areas (15 minute parking zones), medium length parking areas (2 hour free zones) and the long term parking areas (the off street lots and Parkades).Staff will continue to work with the DGBA to ensure that operationally this pilot is given every chance for success. Staff