The Town of Banff is going out to the public on options for paid parking in the tourist town, including the potential for limited free parking for residents.
At a public open house called Connect 2014 last Thursday (March 13), the municipality presented options on what paid parking could look like, including potential rates from $1 to $3 per hour depending the time of year, and types of technology that could be used.
Officials say that based on the research, there is potential to generate estimated net revenue of $1.9 million to $2.4 million, which could be pumped into other transportation projects in town.
Diana Waltmann, the Town of Banff’s communications manager, said the decision on user-pay parking rests with council, and that all of the feedback will be used to form recommendations for council’s consideration.
“We are looking at paid parking in a broader context as not only a solution for parking, but as a way of financing other transportation initiatives as well,” she said.
Banff is a town of about 8,200 residents for most of the year, but in peak times like the busy summer months, the daily population swells to up to 25,000, forcing RVs, buses and cars to fight for limited parking spaces.
Studies show Banff’s inventory of about 1,400 on-street and off-street parking is about 125 stalls shy of what’s currently needed, with that shortfall expected to grow to 360 parking stalls in five years and 600 stalls in 10 years.
Paid parking is under consideration as a way to increase parking space turnover so stalls are easier to find for visitors and congestion and gridlocks caused by vehicles circling in search of parking is reduced.
It’s a controversial issue, however, with many residents concerned about increased costs of living in an expensive town, and some members of the business community fearing that paid parking, on top of fees paid to Parks Canada to enter the national park, will drive away tourists.
Council gave the green light to Town of Banff staff to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to industry experts to recommend how paid parking might be implemented in downtown Banff.
Preliminary rates presented to the public at Connect 2014 were determined by input from industry experts, and based on a model known as right pricing, as well as other factors such as transit fares.
Potential parking summer rates from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. are $3 per hour for on-street parking and $2 per hour for off-street parking, including the municipality’s surface lots and public parkades.
The cost of parking in winter from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. is potentially $2 per hour for on-street and $1 per hour for surface lots and parkades.
As part of the proposal, consideration is being given to provide Banff residents with a limited amount of free parking in recognition that some errands and tasks are more convenient to do with vehicles. It could be for a certain time of day or a limited time period.
One of the technology options under consideration that was presented at Connect 2014 includes pay-by-licence plate, which is used in municipalities such as Calgary, and White Rock, Vancouver and Penticton, B.C.
A wireless handheld device used by a parking officer, which can also be mounted in a vehicle, scans plates and communicates with wireless pay stations to confirm whether parking has been paid and there’s no need to display a ticket in a windshield. With smart technology, motorists can purchase and extend time either at an on-street kiosk with a credit card or cash, or from their smart phones with a credit card.
In addition, this technology allows for registration of plates that make a resident permit program feasible. Residents in designated streets would register their vehicle plate annually with the Town of Banff.
The Town of Banff is conducting an online survey which is open until April 4 on the town’s website at www.banff.ca
Paid parking was soundly shot down by residents in a plebiscite in 2000.
