City looks for solutions to parking woes in downtown Kelowna

The City of Kelowna is looking at new options to make parking in downtown Kelowna easier.

In the last few months, it has installed counters at parkades showing the number of stall vacancies, with updates available online.

Dave Duncan, Kelowna’s parking services manager, said administration is also doing research on variable parking rates, which could mean different rates based on time and location.

“So looking at a specific location, and the highest demand location, should we be charging more there? Should we be charging less in a less desirable location to drive that traffic, and if we do that, how do we tell people that there are different rates?” he said.

Duncan said the city is also looking at extending the two-hour time limit but possibly charging at a higher rate.

“Another big one that we’re going to be looking at is the monthly permit program, and trying to find ways to incentivize people not to use monthly permits,” he said.

Duncan said that might mean weekly options or an ability to suspend a permit.

The City of Kelowna is currently owed more than $1.8 million in outstanding tickets.

The worst offender owes $4,083.

Nearly 42,000 parking tickets were given out last year, up from 38,834 in 2016. However, 2015 saw the most tickets in recent years at 47,023.

“Currently the most ticketed street in Kelowna is Lawrence Avenue, and that does reflect that it also has the highest number of stalls,” Duncan said.

Nearly 5,200 tickets were handed out on Lawrence Avenue. It was followed by Bernard Avenue, at 4,749 tickets, and Water Street at 3,668 tickets.

City administration is hoping to share its ideas for public feedback at an open house in the spring and forward a new plan to council by summer.