Charlottetown is revamping its downtown parking strategy as a surge in population is only expected to continue in the years to come.
“As we all know, parking is at a premium downtown. We have a number of on-street parking and parkades,” said Scott Adams, the city’s manager of public works.
“The goal of this strategy is how do we better manage this parking over the long term, help us analyze trends and help us know how many vehicles are parking downtown at any given time during the year, and how do we manage that.”
A request for proposals to find a consultant on the strategy closes soon. The city has $60,000 to pay for a report that will determine long-term strategies for parking through surveys of usage rates and peak and lull times for parking.
There will eventually be open houses to consult with residents about what’s needed for parking in the city’s downtown, although no timeline for those or for the final report have been set.
Adams said the city has a long-term parking strategy a number of years ago, and now is the time to update it.
“You always want to be reviewing the services you’re providing and how can we make them better for the city and visitors alike. It’s definitely something that needed to be dusted off and updated,” he said.
“Demographics shift over time, businesses move around and different land uses around the downtown require different parking needs, and that’s part of our review.
