5619 replies to this topic

[G-Man]

If the city stopped allowing monthly parking downtown in its parkades then all those reserved spots would be used more often by people coming down to shop or go out for lunch. We are giving up on capacity by allowing it because there is no way most of them get used every day. I say let the private lots take on the monthly parkers. If there is demand someone will build some more parking.

[VicHockeyFan]

Nobody had built new parking capacity since the 70's.  We need the City to do that.

[G-Man]

So you are saying that when it comes to parking, the public sector does it best then? How did I get on the other side of this?

[VicHockeyFan]

So you are saying that when it comes to parking, the public sector does it best then? How did I get on the other side of this?

 

The private sector has a harder time planning and budgeting with a decent return for 25, 50 or 100 years out, that's why nobody is jumping to build new roads in the private sector.

[G-Man]

Yet other cities have lots of private parkades. I think that the cost is too low then. I am just not sure if we have a big enough problem yet. If the problem is that the product is so cheap that we are running out of supply then the cost needs to go up. Make it 20 dollars a day average and see if we still have too few spots.

[VicHockeyFan]

I’d be happy to see the long term parking rates offered by the City go up. Why are they so low compared to Robbins?

[Bingo]

I think the problem will work itself out sooner rather than later when businesses move out of the downtown core because of the cost of or lack of parking.

[rjag]

Forwarded the data about all the waitlists to an old friend who is a senior guy at Impark in Toronto

 

His response 

 

 

Wow, that seems highly unlikely. If true though that means the rates in the city are all too low.

[VicHockeyFan]

Forwarded the data about all the waitlists to an old friend who is a senior guy at Impark in Toronto

 

His response 

 

The data is direct from the Robbins Parking website not sure why they would have untrue data.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 09 October 2017 - 07:07 PM.

[rjag]

The data is direct from the Robbins Parking website not sure why they would have untrue data.

 

I think he is shocked hence his comments

[G-Man]

Exactly price needs to go up.

[Cassidy]

 I get the mechanics of raising parking rates to increase parking availability, but considering the somewhat unsavoury aspects of downtown Victoria currently, parking rates have to remain low enough that people will still bother to drive downtown and patronize downtown businesses with their money - despite the panhandlers and troublemakers.

 

You've got to have other folks (shoppers) visiting downtown besides the folks who work downtown.

Folks who work downtown may buy a sandwich for lunch a couple of times a week, and the occasional birthday card - but they aren't downtown to do any heavy shopping, they're there to work.

 

Once Mayfair opens back up, and with Uptown in full swing and Hillside already upgraded - it's going to be awfully tempting to forego downtown altogether when you go shopping, and park for free, in a (almost) guaranteed parking spot, and not get wet while shopping in Victoria's long, damp fall/winter/spring stretch.

 

With the addition of bike lanes forcing the removal of already scant street parking, parking is already a good enough reason to never go downtown.

Raising parking prices would seem more than a bit foolhardy right now, something I'm sure the DTVBA would agree with.

Edited by Cassidy, 10 October 2017 - 06:38 AM.

[Mike K.]

So Victoria is a big city when it comes to this issue?

Funny how we’re a small city when it comes to building heights. And density. And pretty much everything else. But with parking, all bets are off! We’re in the big-leagues!

Just build a parkade already, City of Victoria. We need parking capacity. No, this isn’t a game, and no, not everyone and their child can/will/or wants to get on a bike.

[VicHockeyFan]

It’s not like this has suddenly happened. And it’s not like we don’t have space for one (at the arena).

[G-Man]

Maybe it is just me but my preference is to pay money over wasting my life finding parking. Even on Sundays I will beeline for a pay parking lot lot downtown over waiting in line to get a spot at a parkades. Did that two weeks ago and paid for a spot next to Janion. I could be wrong but I doubt I am the only person that values their time when going shopping.

[VicHockeyFan]

That’s fine Gman on Sundays. But at noon on Friday space is scarce.

[VicHockeyFan]

CoV in 2007:

 

http://www.victoria....ng Strategy.pdf

 

The objectives of the Parking Strategy include the following:Provide excellence in customer serviceCreate incentives to position downtown as the destination of choicePromote a safe and inviting downtown parking environmentImprove parking technology to make it more user friendlyEnsure that the parking system is self sufficient and sustainingEnsure parking demands are addressed for both today and the future••••••••••••

 

Complete the Downtown Victoria Parking AssessmentReview and update the need for more short term parkingRe-allocate long term parking to short term to meet demand Review and update the long term parking requirements for DowntownExplore new areas of paid parkingCreate a Parking and Transportation reserve for future improvementsIntroduce Sunday limited time zone in downtown metered areas (D)

 

 

So what is missing there completely is how to address loss of parking stall, and maybe that's something they did not see coming 10 years ago.  But it's here.

[VicHockeyFan]

CoV:

 

Long-term Parking

The City recognizes that additional space for long-term parking customers is needed. To provide alternate long-term parking downtown, the City is evaluating limited on-street time zones to determine if some of them can be made into all-day paid parking spaces for commuters. It’s too early in the process to identify specific blocks but it is estimated that more than 100 on-street spaces on the periphery of downtown will become all-day parking this year in a phased approach.

 

In addition, the City is working with the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) to identify alternative solutions with privately-owned facilities in an effort to alleviate the parking capacity challenges in the short-term. The DVBA in partnership with the City, Robbins Parking, Pattison Group and BC Transit is offering commuters a new Park and Ride service at Douglas Street and Frances Avenue, with two more Park and Rides planned for 2017.

 

 

http://www.victoria....hancements.html

 

But tomorrow alone we are losing 116 stalls.

 

OK, it's October 2017, where are the 2 more park/rides?  We got 53 spots on Frances in spring of this year, but tomorrow we lose 116 spots.  Did I mention that?

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 10 October 2017 - 07:31 AM.

[VicHockeyFan]

We are about to lose 80 more on View St. too.  Earlier this year we lost I don't know how many at The Wade.

 

Have we called an engineer, to see if there is even the possibility of adding another level to any of our existing parkades?  Would anyone in the city object to one more level on a parkade?  Lisa Helps is a fan of "low hanging fruit", let's see where this goes.

 

What's going on with the Barclay's Exchange site?  There are no for lease signs, that tells me we might be losing those lots.  Has anyone from the City at least called the property owner to ask.  Of course she's not obligated to respond, but are we asking?

 

What about the new casino, when it ever shows up, can we get them to commit to a deep parkade?

 

Have we asked the natives about short or long-term parking on their new Rock Bay land?

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 10 October 2017 - 07:46 AM.

[tjv]

The only time I go downtown personally anymore is for my haircut and for that I zip into a parkade, get my hour free parking, and then leave.  Everything that is available downtown is available outside and in many cases better services and better quality