Real-time number of open parking spots in downtown parkades will be available soon
Guelph, Ont., June 13, 2022 – The City of Guelph is making parking downtown easier by adding over 100 free two-hour parking spaces and sharing real-time parking availability for downtown lots at guelph.ca/parking.
More parking throughout downtown
As part of a pilot project beginning today, June 13, drivers can use the 64 spaces in the Macdonell Street parking lot the same way they use downtown on-street parking: up to two hours once a day at no charge. The two-hour, once a day limit applies to a car parked downtown, even if it’s moved to a different space.
In May, conversion of on-street parallel parking to angled parking on the west side of Wyndham Street between Quebec Street and Woolwich Street created 21 additional parking spaces. The City is also adding over 20 parking spaces along Woolwich Street between Yarmouth Street and Macdonell Street.
“Downtown is the vibrant and thriving core of our city. We’ve heard from our business community that access to additional parking downtown is critical for them right now as they focus on recovering from the impacts of the pandemic,’ says John Regan, general manager, economic development and tourism at the City of Guelph. “We’re making parking accessible and convenient for more people coming downtown and we’ve already had some positive feedback from businesses about the changes we’re making.”
Find out how much parking is available before heading downtown
City staff is also using technology to make parking downtown easier and more convenient. Earlier this year, the City added digital counters to the Market Parkade and West Parkade that show how many parking spaces are available in each lot. This summer, this data will be available on the City’s website so visitors will know – in real-time – how many parking spaces are available before they head downtown.
City staff are also installing sensors in the asphalt under downtown on-street parking spaces to track parking turnover. The sensors will detect how long vehicles are parked in a space and will be used to enforce the free two-hour limit and to inform longer-term planning for parking needs.
Stop circling: use the parkades, take transit, walk or cycle
The City is encouraging downtown visitors planning to stay longer than two hours to stop circling (for on-street parking) and park in one of the downtown parkades, or to use transit or active transportation to get downtown.
Signs directing people to the parkades will be placed throughout downtown. Downtown businesses will get printed and digital materials about parking options to share with their customers and clients.
“A large piece of the parking puzzle is reminding downtown visitors of all of the parking options available in addition to on-street parking, and other ways they can get downtown like taking a bus, walking or cycling,” says Regan. “We’re collaborating with the Downtown Guelph Business Association to share parking information with their members and to find other opportunities to help keep our downtown thriving.”
Downtown Parking Master Plan
Later this summer, the community will have an opportunity to help plan for the future of downtown parking by participating in engagement opportunities for the Downtown Parking Master Plan update. More information will be available soon on haveyoursay.guelph.ca.
Resources
Explore all of the exciting things to do downtown on the Downtown Guelph website.
Media Contact
John Regan, General Manager, Economic Development and Tourism
Economic Development and Tourism
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 3567
[email protected]