City removing some parking meters and looking at future without pay stations

The City of Winnipeg is removing nearly one quarter of the parking meters around town this year.

It’s all in an effort to save the city $300,000 annually and toss the aging pay stations to the curb.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority’s policy analyst Colin Stewart said 144 of the 537 meters could go.

Stewart explained that the meters only have a lifespan of three to five more years.

“They are reaching the end of their operational life so we’ve begun to look at what is the next step, what do we do for the next generation of pay stations,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They are reaching the end of their operational life so we've begun to look at what is the next step, what do we do for the next generation of pay stations," he said.

A future that almost certainly means fewer pay stations.

Winnipeg Chief Administrative Officer Doug McNeil told city council’s Executive Policy Committee that the city is phasing out parking meters as they age and that in the future there will be no physical pay stations.

Stewart said he can’t see a time when that would be the case, but recognizes that there’s a lot of changing technology.

“When we first put these in there was no ability to pay on your phone,” he said. “There was no app to pay for parking with. Now there is.”

Mayor Brian Bowman said he will want to make sure any plans for parking meters in the future are accessible for everyone.

“What I’ll be looking to do is just ensure that those individuals that either are unable or simply don’t want to have a smartphone, can pay for parking,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "What I'll be looking to do is just ensure that those individuals that either are unable or simply don't want to have a smartphone, can pay for parking," he said.

Global News caught up with one man trying to pay for parking on his phone Tuesday.

Brian Ladage usually pays with cash but the meter beside his car was broken. It took him 15 minutes to pay on his phone.

“Everything seems to be geared up for the new generations,” he said. “I’m still learning the ropes with Android on this thing. I’ve only had a smartphone for about two years. Before that it was just a little flip phone.”

Grant Steski was also paying for parking Tuesday. He’s in favour of paying for parking on the app.

“I just got to get with the times,” he said. “It’s a good idea if you can do things smarter and save the city some money.”

Right now only 17 per cent of people pay for parking on the phone, while 53 per cent pay with cash and 31 per cent pay with a credit card.