A city initiative offering two-hours of free parking in London’s downtown core and Old East Village, aimed at helping local businesses through the coronavirus pandemic and construction season, is being extended another month following positive reaction from members of the public.
The free parking pilot project, which began July 10, has been accessed more than 2,300 times through HonkMobile since being launched, prompting its extension until Sept. 30, city officials said Thursday.
As part of the initiative, motorists have been eligible to receive two hours of free parking every day at city-owned parking lots and on-street parking metres in the Downtown and Old East Village by using the code ‘B2B20’ on HonkMobile.
“In less than two months, hundreds of Londoners have taken advantage of free parking to support local businesses and enjoy our city’s core,” Mayor Ed Holder said in a written statement.
“In a time when supporting local matters most, we made the decision to extend this initiative until the end of September based on the success of the campaign thus far.”
At the same time, the city says enforcement of parking by-laws, eased due to the pandemic, will resume Friday.
The free parking initiative came the same month the London-St. Thomas region recorded a 10.5 per cent unemployment rate, an improvement from the 12.6 per cent high seen in June.