By Staff
November 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
They are going to do it again this year.
Last year with a lot of pushing from ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward the city made all of December a free parking downtown month.
“We heard from many people last year who enjoyed the free parking promotion and took advantage of the offer to do some of their holiday shopping and celebrating in the downtown,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure. “We hope the return of free parking throughout December will encourage residents and visitors to explore the people and places that make downtown Burlington a great place to visit, live and work.”
Throughout December, vehicles parking at on-street parking meters can park free for up to three hours. For vehicles parked at municipal parking lots or at the parking garage at 414 Locust St., there is no maximum time limit. Overnight parking in municipal lots is allowed except during snow removal activity between 2 and 6 a.m.
The city created a cute video to get the message across.
The City of Burlington provides more than 1,400 municipal public parking spaces in downtown Burlington and offers free parking year-round in downtown Burlington on weekends, Monday to Friday after 6 p.m. and holidays.
When the city announced the program last year the people working at the local retail locations saw a good deal and made the best of it – it was hard to get a space in some of the more popular lots – they were filled with people who worked downtown – not the people who had come downtown to shop.
The city manager at the time put out a pretty stiff memo but it took a few days to get the needed attitude change. Interim city manager Pat Moyle might want to dig out that memo and re-issue it.
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To the Editor,
I am aware of the service however given that the cars were parked right in front of the driveway that was under repair one would think that the attendant could recognize that and that it would qualify for free parking. At the least, a notice to use the service instead of a fine for 2 cars.
If the intention is to let resident’s park if they are working on their driveway then why is it necessary to go around issuing fines when that is what’s happening. Not sure what the risk to the city is. I have also used the service when friends have left their cars out front if they are staying over or have elected to leave the car to avoid driving after drinking. In that case, it is not as obvious why the vehicle is there. Discretion should be part of the role of enforcement personnel. Perhaps that would be too progressive.
It’s great that the parking will be free downtown. However, be very careful which lots you park in. There are a number that look a lot like municipal lots but are private and will cost you. The city is even kind enough to monitor the lost and impose the fines. My daughter drove from Peterborough to come to a family dinner at a downtown restaurant. It was after 7pm on a Saturday and it cost her $45. So far this year, we’ve paid almost $200 in parking tickets. The best was when we got tickets on both cars, parked on the road overnight in front of my own driveway that I had resurfaced. The person had to walk right past the cans located at the bottom of the driveway to put the ticket on the windshield. Must have been a real challenge to have those cars parked on a residential street overnight in the summer. Our tax dollars at work!
Watch out where you park even when it is FREE!!!
Editor’s Note: There is a service at city hall – where to can get a permit FREE to park your car on the street when work is being done on your driveway. You go on line and print out the document that you put on the dashboard of your car. You can get up to 15 days in any one calendar year. Neat service – the city just doesn’t know how to tell you about it – BUT if you were a regular reader of the Gazette you would know that because we wrote about it and I used the service.