Changes to Halifax’s parking system begin on Tuesday

Halifax’s modified parking infrastructure is set to come into force on Tuesday.

Starting on Oct. 13, there will be no more individual pay meters in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

Instead, the HRM is adopting pay stations that use a pay-by-plate, pay-by-zone system.

Stations have been installed over the past few weeks and will become active on Tuesday.

The new technology is meant to make it easier to pay for parking while also introducing more payment options like credit card, debit card and digital smart payment.

Rather than paying for a specific space, the HRM says that payment will now be attached to the vehicle. That allows the vehicle to move freely within a parking zone up to the time purchased or the maximum time allowed.

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How it works

Halifax says that the new system will work off designated parking zones. There are different zones as displayed in the map above.

The zone an individual is parking in will be found on parking signage, with each zone being lettered A through H.

Once an individual has parked they can find the nearest pay station to pay for parking using coins, debit, credit or Apple Pay.

The third-party HotSpot app on a mobile phone can also be used to pay.

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At the parking station — or on the app — you will need to know your vehicle’s license plate number and the parking zone you are in.

On-street parking rates will be different in certain zones.

The municipality says time can be purchased in 15-minute increments for zones A to G and 30-minute increments for Zone H.

In zones A through G, parking will cost $2 for the first two hours and $6 per hour for hours three and four up to a maximum of four hours.

In Zone H, which is located in downtown Dartmouth, parking will cost $1.50 per hour for the first two hours and  $4 per hour for hours three and four up to a maximum of four hours.