Pause on parking changes?

Photo: Colin Dacre

The City of Penticton appears to be having second thoughts about its "resident only" parking program.

A staff report is hitting council desks on Tuesday that recommends putting the planned expansion of the system on hold, pending further public engagement.

In January, nine additional streets near the beach and Main Street are to be added to the program, which requires residents to get a permit to park on the street. Another new addition was a $30 per household annual fee.

The report indicates “mixed reviews” from those impacted by the changes, with a wide variety of complaints and comments both against and in favour of the program.

The business community has expressed that areas close to the downtown are the only spots for employees to park and “if we want businesses in the downtown, these streets need to be available to park on.”

Businesses also say that those areas are empty most of the time during the day and should be opened up.

Other concerns are from residents who are upset about having to pay to park on their own street and others who think “parking is owned by everyone, and people shouldn’t get a reserved spot in front of their house.”

Regardless, city staff say they were surprised by the strong reaction to the changes, “as they represented the addition of only a few streets.”

“It appears that concerns over the whole program are unresolved, not just the expansion,” the report states.

Delaying the rollout of the changes should not cost the City of Penticton anything, as resident parking is designed to be revenue neutral.