WESTMOUNT – The City of Westmount is changing its parking system from pay-by-the-spot to pay-by-the-plate.
That means that instead of paying to park in a location, Montrealers will have to pay a certain fee to be able to park their car anywhere in Westmount.
“Everybody feels that frustration when you have to move two or three blocks to change parking spots and you pay for it again,” said city councillor Philip Cutler.
“In Westmount, we’re going to have the ability to move around the city and if you’ve paid for an hour, that hour sticks with your license plate.”
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The old coin meters will be replaced with terminals like those in the City of Montreal.
There will also be a new app to pay for parking.
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Not having to pay for a specific location means that Westmount will also be getting rid of painted parking spots.
Cars will be free to park closer together, like on residential streets.
However, permit parking on residential streets remains the same.
“Parking spaces are 20 feet wide and those are designed for SUVs and large vehicles,” said Cutler.
“Nowadays, so many people are driving compact cars and smaller vehicles. You actually get a lot more parking room by getting rid of those lines.”
Cutler estimates that this will increase parking capacity by 15 per cent, from about 750 spots to nearly 900.
Westmount is the first in Quebec to try this kind of parking system.
The news comes as a relief to motorists on Sherbrooke Street, who said parking is too difficult now.
“I’m probably here twice a day and I get at least three tickets a week,” said one man.
“So, if they’re putting those machines in, it’s the best thing ever.”
“It’s hard, there’s very little parking and the streets are all blocked due to construction, so we’re stuck in the middle,” said another driver.
“We’re really hostages in this little place.”
The changes will officially be made in the spring, but in January two demo units will be set up.
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One will be in front of Westmount City Hall the other in front of the recreation centre.
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