Hands-free parking could be coming to city’s core
Feeding city parking meters from the comfort of a cafe could soon be an option for drivers in St. Catharines.
City council is considering a pilot project that would allow visitors downtown to pay for on-street parking through their mobile phones.
“I think from the user perspective, the customer, great opportunity,” said Mayor Walter Sendzik, during his monthly online chat #AskSendzik at the Standard Thursday.
The chat can be viewed at www. stcatharinesstandard.ca.
“From the city’s perspective, it will enhance our parking experience in the downtown which will make it beneficial for everybody.”
The technology would be embedded in parking meters, allowing users to still pay with coins if they prefer.
But those paying through their phones would have the added benefit of getting alerts before their meter time expires. They could buy more time from wherever they happen to be.
“You can be in a restaurant and you’ll get an alert that says you have 15 minutes left on, would you like to add more to it? You can just say ‘Yes,’ and it adds a half-hour, hour, two hours,” Sendzik said.
“It will, I think, cut down on the number of people getting tickets who are using their mobile device for it.”
At the same time, Sendzik said, the technology is expected to increase the potential revenue for the city because many people who get the alerts will add time to their meters rather than rush back and risk getting a $12 ticket.
He said that incremental increase in revenue from multiple parkers should make up for any lost revenue from not having to issue those tickets.
City council is receiving a report Monday about the new parking system and will vote on whether to adopt it on a trial basis after a public meeting Oct. 3.
The report recommends council enter an agreement for services with Honkmobile Inc. for a 12-month trial period at Market Square and at on-street meters along sections of Market and James Streets. A 35-cent convenience fee would be applied to each pay by mobile transaction.
Sendzik discussed a number of issues during his monthly chat, including answering a Standard reader’s question about whether multi-coloured lights could be used on the new Burgoyne Bridge, like on the Main Street bridge in Welland.
Sendzik said it’s something the city is exploring. The bridge currently has static LED white lights that were built into the budget, but he said the city would like to work with Niagara Region to see if it can be reconfigured with programmable lighting.
He said it’s a signature bridge and he would like to be able to showcase the colours for different community events, such as for the CIBC Run for the Cure or World Alzheimer’s Day.
“I think that would be a great entry point into our downtown,” he said.
The next online Chat with the Mayor is in October and readers can submit questions ahead of time on Twitter with the hashtag #AskSendzik, on The Standard’s Facebook page or by e-mailing them to kwalter@postmedia.com.