On Monday, May 26th Council approved a Paid Parking Program in Elora, to be implemented in Winter 2025. Before its rollout, a comprehensive communications plan will be launched to ensure residents and business owners are well-informed and prepared. Residents of Centre Wellington will not be required to pay for parking, provided they register their license plates in advance.
Program Overview:
The Paid Parking Program will include two distinct parking zones:
- Zone 1: Paid parking with high turnover (3-hour time limit).
- Zone 2: Paid parking for longer-term parking (current by-law: up to 24 hours).
Additional Features:
Free Resident Parking:
- Before the program is launched in the Fall, Centre Wellington residents may register their license plates for free parking (limits being investigated regarding the number of license plates per household).
- Residents would be exempt from paying for parking in Zones 1 and 2; however, they will still be required to adhere to the Highway Traffic Act and Parking By-law regarding time restrictions, etc. Otherwise, tickets will be provided.
Hourly Parking Fees:
- While differing parking prices for Zones were contemplated, staff's recommendation is to have a consistent charge of $3.00 per hour, with a daily maximum in Zone 2 of $15.00 (half of the 10 hours that paid parking is being enforced daily).
- Paid parking would be in effect seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
*Please note, these parking rates are recommendations at this time, and will be verified when paid parking is fully implemented.
Parking Permits:
- Non-residents regularly accessing Elora downtown would have the opportunity to purchase a parking permit for longer time frames. Staff are investigating pricing (current recommendation is to charge $125 monthly for this permit). Permit holders are not guaranteed a parking space (first-come, first-served).
Future phases (i.e. Fergus paid parking and/or amendments to Elora) will be reassessed at a later date, informed by the results of Phase 1 and further consultation with downtown businesses and the BIAs.
Parking Enforcement
- The current year-round Parking Enforcement Program will continue, as approved by Council.
- 3-hour time-restricted parking will be enforced in downtown Fergus as outlined in the map. The 3-hour area was expanded slightly on St. Andrew Street East, east of Gowrie Street.
Background:
Based on the Municipal Downtown Parking Strategy Final Report, future parking demand and supply were forecasted for the 2030 and 2041 horizon years.
The existing parking assessment indicated that during the peak hours:
- Elora currently requires more parking supply to meet the existing demand at desirable service levels.
- Fergus currently has sufficient parking supply to meet the existing demand at desirable service levels.
The future parking assessment indicated that in Fergus:
- By 2030, there will remain sufficient supply to meet anticipated demand at desirable service levels.
- By 2041, demand will exceed supply.
A survey was conducted on Connect CW from May 23 to June 24, 2024, seeking residents' preferences regarding paid parking options. It was crucial to inform residents that securing funding for future parking structures or improvements is essential, and the most effective way to obtain this funding would be through the implementation of paid
parking. 684 people filled out the survey.
When asked if and how paid parking should be implemented in Centre Wellington:
- 451 respondents (66%) answered that Paid Parking should be implemented for visitors only
- 47 respondents (7%) said that Paid Parking should be implemented for all users (residents and visitors), and
- 186 respondents (27%) said that Paid Parking should not be implemented, meaning that maintenance of current parking assets and any additional infrastructure is to be funded by property taxes.
When asked if a multi-level parking structure should be built in Downtown Elora:
- 387 respondents (57%) answered yes, and
- 297 respondents (43%) said no.
When asked if a multi-level parking structure should be built in Downtown Fergus:
- 338 respondents (49%) said yes, and
- 346 respondents (51%) said no.
When asked how revenue should be generated to pay for a parking structure:
- 91 respondents (13%) said property taxes,
- 420 respondents (61%) answered paid parking revenue, and
- 173 respondents (25%) answered unsure.
