NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BARRIE
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Parking in Barrie is on its way to becoming easier and more convenient. The 2020 Parking Strategy was approved at last evening’s City Council meeting. The strategy includes steps that will move the parking reserve from a deficit to a self-sustaining model by 2030, and will provide more options, new technology and better balance for residents and visitors to the city.
“We want to ensure that parking in Barrie meets resident and visitor needs with easy-to-find options and convenient payment methods. This is what the new strategy strives to complete,” says Brent Forsyth, Director of Transit & Parking Strategy. “We’re changing parking challenges into opportunities with this new plan that will move us into the future.”
Parking in Barrie will become more sustainable, easier, and convenient by:
- Providing residents with more options to pay, including Smart Meters with credit card payment options, a parking app, and license plate recognition technology (to allow for digital parking passes)
- Altering parking pricing structure to better meet supply and demand by prioritizing on-street parking options for customers, adjusting parking lot pass options to help distribute parking demand, and lowering rates at underutilized facilities (e.g. Collier Street parkade) to encourage use
- Simplifying parking by aligning how the downtown Library and City Hall lots can be used, standardizing spillover parking controls in residential areas, and improving and standardizing parking signs across the city
- Improving waterfront parking by considering a pilot shuttle service on summer weekends, implementing seasonal on-street parking to Resident Waterfront Parking Pass holders, and adjusting seasonal on-street parking restrictions in surrounding neighbourhoods
- Ensuring parking rates remain financially sustainable by adjusting some rates downtown (increase of 25 cents per hour, $1.50 a day and 10 per cent for monthly and annual passes), adjusting rates and extending paid parking on Gallie Court and Quarry Ridge Road, and investigating the implementation of paid evening parking in the downtown
The Parking Strategy team worked with residents, community stakeholders, and other city departments to develop the new Parking Strategy, and the action items are a direct reflection of the feedback.
To learn more visit ‘Parking Strategy’ at barrie.ca/parking. Follow the city on Twitter and Facebook to receive updates as changes are implemented.
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