New parking initiatives from city hall - they just might work.

By Staff

May 8, 29018

BURLINGTON, ON

Some new parking initiatives from city hall. No new parking spaces though.

The parking initiatives are designed to make it easier for users to find and pay for a parking space in downtown Burlington.

These initiatives include:

• new occupancy sensor technology to show real-time information about available parking spaces in city-owned parking lots

• the introduction of a new pay-for-parking app called HonkMobile

• improvements to pay-by-plate parking machines in downtown Burlington to simplify the payment process and improve the user parking experience.

Occupancy sensor technology
Throughout 2017 and 2018, the City of Burlington installed occupancy sensors in Burlington’s downtown, at every on-street parking space and all parking spots at city-owned parking lots. Burlington is one of the first cities in Canada to use this new occupancy sensor technology that keeps track of occupied and available parking spaces.

How it works?
Small occupancy sensors placed in every parking space send a wireless signal to a nearby receiver when a vehicle is parked in a parking spot.

Using the data from the occupancy sensors, real-time parking supply information is displayed on new digital counter signs installed at all city-owned parking lots. The digital counter signs showing drivers the number of available parking spaces in each lot have been installed and are expected to be operational by the end of May.

In addition to the digital counter signs, new digital wayfinding signs are expected to be installed on primary downtown streets within the next few weeks.

The wayfinding signs will display real-time information about the number of available parking spaces in nearby lots and use directional arrows to guide drivers to those parking lots with empty parking spaces.

Mobile parking app HonkMobile
On April 30, 2018, residents and visitors were able to use the HonkMobile app to search, pay for, and top-up parking payments directly from their smartphone, tablet or computer.

The HonkMobile app can be downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play store using any internet-connected device. Users are required to sign up for an account and pay a transaction fee of $0.35 for each payment.

HonkMobile replaces the city’s former online payment tool Telepark and can be used on-street and in city parking lots. Use the code BURLINGTON to receive $5 off the cost of parking with your first Honk payment between now and June 30, 2018.

Enhancements to the pay-by-plate parking machines
Launched in 2016, downtown Burlington’s pay-by-plate parking machines recently received some improvements to help make the machines easier to use. The updates include:

• new, step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions displayed on the payment screen

• new stickers on the outside of the machine to provide bold visual markers

• an increase in the brightness of the payment screens

• the relocation of a remote server to reduce payment processing time.

One can assume that the Honk application will steer people clear of the parking lot in front of the No Frill supermarket in the Plaza on Brant Street north of Caroline – people are paying a $300 fee to recover their cars from the Classic Towing pound.

Director of Transportation Vito Tolone

Vito Tolone, Director of Transportation commented: The city had heard concerns from businesses and visitors about the process and time taken to park downtown. The enhancements to the parking machines, along with the new technology we’ve introduced to provide real-time parking information, will directly address those issues and help improve the parking experience for all in downtown Burlington.”

Time will tell.