City of Lethbridge fielding fewer complaints about new downtown parking kiosks

In May 2018, the City of Lethbridge changed parking regulations in the downtown area with new kiosks and parking zones, sparking mixed reviews from residents and business owners alike.

But after a summer of updates, the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ says users are adapting well to the new system.

“We get far less complaints,” said Sheva Boire with the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ.

“We still get the odd complaint, but it is way down from when the system was first introduced in the spring.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We still get the odd complaint, but it is way down from when the system was first introduced in the spring."

With time limits placed on zones throughout the area causing frustration for shoppers, the city has spent months adjusting the system to allow more frequent payment options when parking downtown.

“Initially, there was a limit on the amount of time you could stay within a two- or three-hour zone, so you could only park once,” said Dave Henley with the City of Lethbridge.

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“What the city heard was that wasn’t long enough, people in those areas wanted the ability to purchase an additional amount of time, so what the city allocated is they changed and let people purchase a full second session now.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "What the city heard was that wasn't long enough, people in those areas wanted the ability to purchase an additional amount of time, so what the city allocated is they changed and let people purchase a full second session now."

The city is also rolling out a new parking card to help with user concerns surrounding minimum fees on credit cards.

“For people that don’t have the coins or don’t want to use that credit card that has the minimum fee, they can now get these cards that are basically like gift cards in the downtown core,” Henley said.

Another change the city has been working on is shifting parking ticket appeals so users can become more familiar with the parking kiosks and how they work.

“The three most common concerns were: I don’t know how to use the system, I don’t know where I am parking, and I put my plate in wrong,” said Henley.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "The three most common concerns were: I don't know how to use the system, I don't know where I am parking, and I put my plate in wrong," said Henley.

With these complaints in mind, one more step the city has taken to help make parking experiences better for residents is provide additional signage downtown to help residents navigate zoning.  The city has also added instructions on how to effectively use the kiosks to minimize user mistakes.

“Now people just need to remember what their plate number is,” Henley said.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "Now people just need to remember what their plate number is," Henley said.