Parking Recommendations

Our recent review of downtown parking, highlights that the demand for on-street parking exceeds available capacity, while there is space within the City’s five parkades.

Based on community input, the following recommendations were adopted in May 2014 to shift motorists from higher-demand on-street parking spots to available spaces in City parkades, in addition to improving the public’s overall parking experience downtown. 

City staff rolled out many of these parking improvements in mid-September 2014, while other improvements will continue into 2015.

Downtown Parking Map

The Downtown Parking Map [PDF - 311 KB] below demonstrates the adopted recommendation for variable on-street hourly rates ($1.50 to $3/hour) and time limits ranging from 90 minutes to all day, depending on the area downtown.

NOTE: As of September 15, 2014, there are five zones [PDF - 342 KB] to provide more flexibility and choice for on-street parking.

Upcoming Parking Improvements

The supported parking improvements are outlined below. For details on the engagement process with the community, please click here.

RECOMMENDATION CURRENT PRACTICE

Variable hourly rates (from $1.50 to $3 an hour) for on-street parking with time limits ranging from 90 minutes to all day, depending on the area downtown. 

 

On-street parking located within a three-minute walk of a City parkade will be at the highest rate of $3 an hour and have a 90 minute limit.

 

Overall, of the 3,845 parking spaces downtown, 2,359 (61%) of these spaces will see a decrease in rates, and 837 parking spaces (22%) will see an increase in rates. The remaining 649 downtown parking spaces stay at the same rate and time limits will be extended.

 

Please see the Downtown Parkade Zone map above.

On-street parking rates are fixed at $2.50 an hour with a range of 20, 90 and 120-minute time limits.

 
Greater Victoria elected officials, who have been issued an on-street parking permit (approximately 200 permits) to park in a City parkade when doing business in the Downtown Parkade Zone (within a three minute-walk of a City parkade). There are no restrictions on where Greater Victoria elected officials with on-street permits can park downtown.

Offer the first hour free in all City parkades.

 

The public can request a First Hour Free parking coupon from a participating downtown merchant or from the Public Service Centre at City Hall.

 

Downtown businesses can purchase these coupons for ten cents per coupon.
 

Offer free parking in City parkades in the evenings from 6 p.m. – 8 a.m. Monday to Saturday.

 

(Parking will continue to be free on-street and in City parkades on Sundays and Statutory Holidays.)

 

Parking is a flat rate of $2 in the evenings from
6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday to Saturday in City parkades.

 

Parking is free on-street and in City parkades on Sundays and Statutory Holidays.

Reduce and standardize parkade rates to improve consistency and ease of understanding. For example, reduce the hourly parkade rate of $2.25 to $2/hour and charge on 15 minute-intervals.

 

Daily maximums will be $12 at all parkades except at Bastion Square Parkade which is a higher daily rate of $14 due to higher demand.

 Parkade rates are not consistent among the City’s five parkades.

Move monthly, long-term parkers to higher floors in City parkades to free up space on lower floors for those who park for less than three-hours.

 Monthly parkers have the ability to park on any floor of a parkade. 

Install parkade space counters at the entrance of each City parkade to show how many spaces are available.

 There is no way to know how many spaces are available in a City parkade, other than when a sign is physically placed at the entrance, noting that the parkade is full.

Offer more methods of payment in parkades. In addition to the current pay stations, introduce new “pay on foot” machines enabling you to pay for parking before returning to your vehicle to reduce wait times at exit.

 Currently, the “pay on foot” option is only available at Johnson Street Parkade. It is the only method of payment at this parkade.

Provide additional downtown venues to reload the City’s on-street parking card.

 Motorists can reload their City on-street parking card by coin at any pay station downtown (Monday to Saturday) and at the Public Service Centre at City Hall from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Improve way-finding signage in all parkades.

 Some of the way-finding signage at City parkades is not easily visible or easy to understand.
In partnership with the Downtown Victoria Business Association, develop a new training program for all City parking staff and enforcement commissionaires to improve customer service The City is not directly responsible for the training of enforcement commissionaires.

Improve information about parking downtown online, in print, on-street and in parkades.

While parking information exists, some information is incomplete and needs to be more accessible and easier to understand.

 

 

 

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