What was supposed to be a pilot project for a parking time limit change in a single downtown Canmore public parking lot has been challenged by a local lawyer and business owner.
Canmore lawyer Jessica Sturgeon, who has a downtown office, filed a petition with the municipal government in December that asks officials to eliminate a four-hour time restricted parking from public lots adjacent to the Roam Transit stop on Ninth Street.
“There is insufficient parking for the amount of residents who find it necessary to drive to the downtown core for business,” Sturgeon wrote in the petition description. “It is the inhabitants of the town that utilize these parking lots on a daily basis and should not be subjected to time restrictions when they work in the town centre area.
“There is no justification for limited parking in the lots other than to ‘accommodate more people more efficiently’ and make parking available for ‘customers and visitors’ – with no mention or consideration of the residents of this town.”
While 104 signatures were registered in the petition, municipal clerk Cheryl Hyde told council it did not meet the legislated number needed under the Municipal Government Act to require council to take action.
The parking time limit was first introduced to the public by Town administration and general manager of municipal infrastructure Michael Fark in July. Initially touted as a two-month pilot project, the change in parking time limit for the lot – which is behind artsPlace and the downtown tourist information centre – was also part of a study being undertaken on the issue of parking.
Fark said at the time the parking limit was introduced the purpose of changing the parking lot (to 40 to 50 stalls) from all day parking to four hours was to free up more parking stalls in the downtown core throughout the day.
The Town hired consultants to conduct a parking study to assess the current parking situation, including the four-hour time limit, and is developing a parking management strategy for the community.
That includes working with the Downtown Business Association (a.k.a. the business revitalization zone) on the issue. As a result of the BRZ’s input, for example, the parking stall lines were painted along Main Street last year.
The municipality, at the direction of council, which has identified parking and congestion as a strategic priority, has demolished a small house on Ninth Street to create more all day parking stalls and introduced angle parking in certain locations as well. There has also been a new lease executed with the Canmore Senior’s Association to open up stalls at the Canmore Senior’s Centre on evenings and weekends for public parking.
Fark said the reception in the downtown business community, including the BRZ board of directors, to the change in parking time limits has been varied. As for the petition, and the initial trial period for the change, Fark said the four-hour parking lot limit is not going anywhere anytime soon – at least not until council has been presented with the parking study and strategy.
“It will remain that way until such time as we bring our report with recommendations,” he said, adding it could be as early as the end of February, or early March.
Sean Krausert, the BRZ board’s council representative, said businesses in the downtown core have varying experiences with the change depending on where they are located. Krausert said there is interest in continuing the conversation on parking and collaborating on solutions that increase the amount of available parking during the day.
“I think at the end of the day it comes down to a change that has caused concern for some; others wanted to see more limited parking and others want to wait to see the full parking study,” he said.
Canmore council in its 2017-18 operational budget also approved additional resources for bylaw services to conduct more parking enforcement downtown – including the four-hour lot.
