Commercial On-street Parking Policy

How are fees set for on-street parking in commercial areas? Who decides how much parking should cost? How often are parking prices reviewed?

On December 3, 2012, City Council approved in principle a new Commercial On-Street Parking Policy that addresses these questions. The policy helps strike a balance between encouraging the use of on-street parking and making parking available to business customers in the most efficient way. The policy also sets standards for those who operate their business using on-street parking (e.g., taxis, limousine, valet, etc.).

The policy describes a new process for determining on-street parking fees using data from Calgary Parking Authority’s ParkPlus system. The new process will ensure a consistent and standardized approach to setting on-street parking prices in commercial areas.

“Data from the ParkPlus system provides valuable information on how parking spaces in commercial areas are used,” says Chris Blaschuk, Acting Manager of Transportation Strategy. “This information helps us determine what changes should be made to help manage on-street parking more efficiently.”

The new policy helps ensure on-street parking in commercial areas is managed consistently, efficiently and in a fair and equitable manner. It will also make decisions on parking pricing more transparent—once the policy is approved in spring 2013 and implemented, ParkPlus data will be posted online so the public can see how the data is used to determine parking pricing. Parking prices will be reviewed and adjusted annually based on ParkPlus data.

The policy and a report on pricing will go to Council for final approval March 2013. Visit calgary.ca for more information about this policy.