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Parking rates set to rise in downtown Barrie

City has 832 on-street parking spaces downtown and operates 19 parking lots; Hike equates to approximately $280,000 in additional revenue annually
2018-05-22 Parking meter 1 RB
Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

Find another quarter, as downtown parking on metered Barrie streets and in city parking lots will soon cost more.

Effective Oct. 4, it will cost $1.50 an hour to park on the city’s metered streets, an increase from $1.25 now.

And in city parking lots, it will cost $1.25 an hour instead of the current rate of $1.

The daily off-street parking rate will increase to $7 from $5.50 on the same date.

Brent Forsyth, Barrie’s director of transit and parking strategy, says the city has 832 on-street parking spaces in the downtown and operates 19 parking lots. There with a total of 1,234 spaces, including those in Collier Street Parkade.

What this rate increase will mean to city coffers is a tough calculation. 

“With the continuous uncertainty that the pandemic brings, it is difficult to forecast the short term impact,” Forsyth said. “However, when you look at the impact of these changes under pre-COVID conditions, it would equate to approximately $280,000 in additional revenue annually.”

The rate raises are part of Barrie’s parking strategy, which came to city council almost a year ago.

It outlined key strategic changes for the parking system, including recommendations on parking devices and technologies, rules and restrictions, forecasted future demand and supply and financial interventions required to ensure the parking rate is sustainable, including approved pricing changes.

One key recommendation considered was extending paid parking into the evening during weekdays until 9 p.m., from 5 p.m.

Because this would be a significant change, council directed staff to further investigate this option to understand the evening utilization, comparisons with other municipalities, impact on users and businesses and the necessity based on the financial condition of the parking reserve.

But Barrie hasn’t returned to normal conditions with continued impacts of the pandemic. Provincial restrictions, heightened safety concerns, cancellation of events, increase in work from home, lowered or redirected enforcement, the downtown’s economic recovery and overall reduction in travel have resulted in reduced parking activity in the downtown.

Staff cannot accurately provide the requested information and are uncomfortable recommending paid evening parking at this time as businesses and users recover from the impacts of the pandemic. 

But staff will monitor and assess the economic recovery in the downtown through the utilization of city parking facilities, with the intention to report back with recommendations to council in the summer or fall of 2022, unless directed otherwise. 

The parking rate and reserve forecasts will be communicated to Barrie councillors through the annual budget to council.