Kamloops city councillor Mike O'Reilly posed for a photo at Caffè Motivo.
Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
January 14, 2019 - 2:19 PM
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops city councillor wants the city to rollback downtown street parking rates.
As of Jan. 1 this year, the parking meter rate was raised to $1.50 per hour for the first two hours and $3 for the third hour.
Coun. Mike O’Reilly says in his motion going to council's meeting tomorrow, Jan. 15, the increase makes downtown street parking the most expensive parking option in Kamloops, and the most expensive parking compared to cities of similar size such as Prince George, Kelowna and Nanaimo.
O’Reilly is asking for the rate to go back to $1.25 per hour for the first two hours and $2.50 for the third hour.
“Parking meters are not meant to be revenue generators. They are strictly there to move parking and they are working,” O’Reilly says in a phone interview. “I don’t see the need or reason for a parking increase.”
His motion also notes that the parking meters have now been paid for and $230,000 of parking revenue goes into general revenue and the on-street parking reserve.
O’Reilly calls parking meters a “very good thing” as they prevent vehicles from parking on the street for excessive amounts of time. However he sees the price increase as a deterrent to the downtown core, potentially impacting privately owned businesses.
A parking plan is in the works for downtown Kamloops. Tomorrow the city is hosting an open house asking the public to help it understand their transportation needs.
“We want to hear what the people of Kamloops are wanting for downtown,” O’Reilly says.
The parking plan is expected to come out at the end of this summer.
“Then we can actually make some strategic choices as to parking increases,” O’Reilly says. “But as far as a blanket increase of $0.25 for no reason — it’s just not warranted.”
The Downtown Transportation Choices Strategy open house goes tomorrow, Jan. 15, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Hotel at 225 Lorne St.
You can also fill out a survey on the City’s Let’s Talk webpage here.
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