No parking?

Councillor seeks installation of parking meters in Wellington and Bloomfield

At last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Wellington councillor Mike Harper suggested council consider a motion for user pay parking in both Wellington and Bloomfield. The motion asks for a staff report on the purchase and implementation of parking meters in the village and at high traffic areas such as boat launches.

Harper cites the influx of tourism and congestion on village streets as the reason for the motion. “Tourism has brought lots of benefits, but it has brought complications and problems. If we were to get the meters and to start collecting money in the villages then we could pay for the enforcement that we desperately need,” says Harper.

Harper also points to spaces being taken up for extended periods of time. “Certainly in Wellington, it says two-hour parking. People park all day, take their bike and then come back eight hours later. How do we enforce it when it is an honour system? We haven’t given staff the means to enforce it properly,” says Harper.

Council members around the horseshoe seemed to like the idea. Mayor Steve Ferguson said he would welcome the additional revenue. “This subject has always been an elephant in the room,” says Ferguson. “I think this is well timed. We can certainly use the additional revenue. The additional revenue might actually pay for more enforcement officers.” Ferguson also added that there are old meters in stock from Picton that could be deployed.

Harper’s motion states that a typical municipal parking space has annualized land, construction and operating costs that total between $500 and $1,500, yet most parking facilities are unpriced, their costs borne indirectly through municipal taxes, rents, higher prices for retail goods, and lower resident advantage.

Councillor Ernie Margetson felt that local residents shouldn’t be burdened by having to pay for parking. “I think most, if not, all are in favour of trying to collect fees for parking from tourists. Maybe permanent landowners may be exempt from these parking fees. There is a number of times in Wellington where people drop in to do their day-to-day business. They would feel put out if they had to pay all the time,” says Margetson.

Harper wanted to make it clear that, this motion wasn’t meant to dig into County residents pockets. “My intent is to be collecting money from tourists. Not burden residents,” says Harper.

In an interview with The Times, Harper reflected on his election campaign when asked why he is seeking support for the motion. “During the election campaign last fall, Wellington residents consistently raised several concerns—dealing with congestion in the village core, abuse of current parking and boat launch fee bylaws, and lack of enforcement. There was also a strong desire to have tourists contribute a share to the infrastructure costs. This motion ticks all these boxes,” says Harper. “I’m very aware this will not be popular with some local residents, but tourism is here to stay, and with the expected population growth in the coming decade, metered parking and a broader strategy to deal with parking has to be looked at now. At this stage it’s just an idea. Whether it is good or bad is to be determined by staff, with public input.”

The report is expected to come back to council later this summer.