A new city report is recommending hourly parking rates on Winnipeg streets be reduced by 75 cents.
The report was conducted by the Winnipeg Parking Authority (WPA) along with the City Economist’s Office.
In May 2018, the city increased on-street parking rates by $1.50 an hour, to $2.50 in low-demand zones and $3.50 in high-demand and hospital zones.
Since then, the report says, “there was a significant and definitive reduction in the total amount of hours parked by customers across all three rate zones.”
There was a 37-per cent decrease in the number of hours parked each day in the low-demand zones, while high-demand and hospital zones had a 29 per cent reduction.
Analysis suggests the 75-cent decrease would increase hours parked by 30 per cent in the low-impact zones and 18 per cent in the high impact/hospital areas.
The report also says the reduction would better align Winnipeg’s rates with Canadian cities of comparable size.
The WPA also met with the Downtown and Exchange BIZ districts, who say businesses in those areas have been negatively impacted by the rate increase.
The city would lose approximately $452,000 per year from the rate reduction.
The report will be tabled at the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works meeting June 9.