Getting rid of parking meters a 'terrible' decision, Winnipeg drivers say
Business owner says city pay stations are 'hit or miss,' but so is the app replacing them
As Winnipeg prepares to remove pay stations at on-street parking and city-run surface lots this summer, some drivers say a cellphone app doesn't work well enough to serve as a replacement.
The City of Winnipeg said Wednesday it will begin removing all city pay stations on July 2, and all of the meters will be gone by Aug. 31.
Once they're gone, drivers will be expected to pay for on-street parking using prepaid parking booklets or PayByPhone, which is available as a mobile app (for iOS and Android). It's also available online or by phone at 1-888-680-7275.
Private lots, like the ones run by Impark, will keep their pay stations, and meters in the Millennium Library parkade will stay.
Tyler Rogers, who owns a business in the Exchange District, says it's "hit and miss" whether the city's pay stations are in working order, but the same is true for the app replacing them.
"It's just a terrible app," according to Rogers, who said he's received multiple parking tickets after the app didn't work properly.
"You need to get a better app … in 2025, when I can go on my phone and literally do anything. I can book a trip to Bali way easier than I can pay for parking downtown," he said.
In a Wednesday news release, the city said the change is needed because the meters will stop working as Canada's mobile service providers phase out 3G networks. The decision not to replace them means the city will save $3.6 million in replacement costs and $1 million in annual operating costs.
That leaves drivers with the PayByPhone service — which the city says is already used for more than 80 per cent of all paid parking transactions — or the prepaid parking booklets, which can be bought at the Parking Store at 495 Portage Ave.
They'll also be available at one of the city's 311 counters in the City Hall building at 510 Main St. (on the main floor) and Access St. Boniface at 170 Goulet St.
The city is encouraging drivers to prepare for the change by downloading the parking app, which it says allows users to pay for and add time from anywhere by using a debit or credit card.
Kaiyra Delaronde, who drives to work, said she finds the app relatively easy to use, but worries that taking away meters will make paying for parking harder for those who don't have credit cards or phones.
"It's just not as convenient as throwing some change I have into the machine," said Delaronde, adding she finds it hard to find parking most of the time.
She has to search for a spot multiple times throughout her shift, she told Radio-Canada.
"Right now for parking, I'm using the app on my phone, so I have my credit card linked on there, and every two hours I have to repay and move my car," Delaronde said.
Alex Hiscott, who was downtown for a birthday celebration Wednesday, said she prefers to use the app, but thinks removing parking meters is a "terrible" decision.
Pay stations help people figure out where to park, Hiscott said, but she thinks that may be harder without the visual cue of a meter.
"It's beneficial to have both, but not just the app itself," she said.
The city said it will install PayByPhone signage as pay stations are removed.
Business owner Rogers said finding parking downtown is "not easy on the best of days," and thinks the city should be working to reduce barriers that might keep people from visiting.
"Post-COVID … getting people to come downtown and spend money is difficult enough," he said. "Putting another barrier in front of them, like finding parking and making it hard for them to pay for parking, is just something that we don't need."
With files from Caitlyn Gowriluk, Zubina Ahmed and Ilrick Duhamel