Pandemic popularity brings paid weekend parking at Beachway Park in Burlington

The days of free parking on summer weekends are over at Beachway Park in Burlington, Ont.

Starting Saturday, May 22 — this weekend — the city says it is introducing a summer parking fee of $2.50 per hour or $20 for an entire day through the HONK mobile app.

Fees will be charged from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through the last weekend in September.

Beachway Park’s popularity has soared, during the pandemic, to the point that the city had to use barricades, a drop-off zone and parking ambassadors to help manage the demand last summer.

Illegal parkers were given a warning and issued tickets in 2020, but this year, the city says violators will be towed, especially those parking on Lakeshore Road shoulders and the grass boulevard over the pipeline.

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Parking is free in downtown Burlington on weekends and holidays, and Beachway visitors are encouraged to extend their walk or use the drop-off zone, park and meet their household members at the beach.

2:29 Calls continue for Ontario government to lift COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor amenities