Parking pilot project for downtown Halifax on hold

A parking experiment for downtown Halifax has been put on hold while the city does a complete review of its parking strategy.

The new policies are needed because the peninsula will lose hundreds of parking spaces over the next few years due to new development.

As it stands now, drivers in downtown Halifax looking for a parking space need patience and a bit of luck.

"[Finding parking is] atrocious, especially with a bigger vehicle because you can't fit underground," said driver Lynn Tilley.

Coun. Waye Mason says it's not going to get easier because new developments will take up 1,300 spaces over the next seven years. He said that's why he was looking forward to a pilot project around the Halifax Common.

The pilot project involved drivers entering their plate numbers into a kiosk to pay for their parking. But it's on hold while city managers take a long, hard look at the entire parking picture. Pay by Plate kiosks may replace all metered parking. That could actually increase the number of parking spaces by 10 to 14 per cent.

"There's all sorts of opportunities there — but it's really complicated so I understand why it’s delayed but I am disappointed," said Mason.

Jane Fraser, with the Halifax Regional Municipality, said the parking review will also look at other issues.

"Should we own parking garages? Should we charge more for parking downtown or should we charge less? What's the best way for people to find where the parking is?" she said.

Fraser isn't sure how long the review will take. She said she'll have a better idea on a timeline in the spring.