Parking Strategy

Topic

Transportation

Adopted or Last Updated

2020

The 2020 Parking Strategy (PDF) outlines how parking will evolve as Barrie continues to transform. The strategy includes steps that will move the parking reserve from a deficit to a self-sustaining model by 2030, and that will provide more options, new technology and better balance for Barrie residents and visitors.

More Sustainable, Easier, & Convenient Parking

Parking in Barrie will become more sustainable, easier, and convenient as the City will:

Provide more options to pay, including Smart Meters with credit card payment options, a parking app, and licence plate recognition technology (to allow for digital parking passes).
Alter parking pricing structure to better meet supply and demand by prioritizing on-street parking options for customers, adjusting parking lot pass options to help distribute parking demand, and lowering rates at underused facilities (e.g. Collier Street parkade) to encourage use.
Simplify parking by aligning how the downtown Library and City Hall lots can be used, standardizing spillover parking controls in residential areas, and improving and standardizing parking signs across Barrie.
Improve waterfront parking by considering a pilot shuttle service on summer weekends, implementing seasonal on-street parking to Resident Waterfront Parking Pass holders, and adjusting seasonal on-street parking restrictions in surrounding neighbourhoods.
Ensure parking rates remain financially sustainable by adjusting some rates downtown (increase of 25 cents per hour, $1.50 a day and 10% for monthly and annual passes), adjusting rates and extending paid parking on Gallie Court and Quarry Ridge Road, and investigating the implementation of paid evening parking in the downtown.

Desired Outcomes of the 2020 Parking Strategy

Convenience	Leverage technology (i.e. parking app) to make it easier to find and pay for parking
Waterfront Parking	Reduce confusion with downtown and waterfront parking boundary.
Competitiveness	Increase the appeal of visiting downtown by improving the parking user experience.
Long-Term Parking	Increase availability of short-term parking for customers by better managing long-term employee parking.
Spillover Parking	Minimize parking spillover into residential neighbourhoods.
Parking Inventory	Meet existing and future parking needs in the downtown and waterfront areas.
Financial Sustainability	Achieve parking operations where revenues are sufficient to fund expenses.

Impact to Waterfront Neighbourhoods

In response to COVID-19 pressures, City Council held an emergency meeting in summer 2020 to discuss waterfront operations. As a result, temporary restrictions were put in place to reduce spillover parking in residential neighbourhoods and curb overcrowding at municipal parks and beaches. On-street parking within 500 metres of a waterfront access point was prohibited, except for vehicles displaying a valid Waterfront Parking Permit.

As part of the Parking Strategy consultation, residents shared feedback about the effectiveness of this change in our waterfront areas:

Johnsons Beach
Kempenfelt Park
Centennial Beach
Minets Point Park
Tyndale Park
Gables Park
Dock Road Park
Wilkins Park

Feedback showed public support for implementing on-street parking restrictions on a more permanent basis. As a result, and based on your feedback, staff developed a Waterfront Spillover Parking Policy (PDF) to enable a flexible, targeted approach.

Presentation to General Committee

Watch the October 19, 2020, presentation to General Committee to learn more about the strategy:

Background

In August 2019, the Parking Strategy team started working with residents, community stakeholders and other City departments to develop the 2020 Parking Strategy. Recommendations were presented to General Committee on October 19, 2020, along with a staff report, and approved by City Council on October 26, 2020. The recommendations are now in the process of being implemented.

The 2020 strategy addresses the many changes that took place since the 2012 Parking Strategy & Rate Review:

visitors started paying for waterfront parkin
surplus municipal parking lots were designated for redevelopment
the Transportation Master Plan set targets to increase walking, cycling and transit ridership
the Official Plan Project was launched to design policies that accommodate future growth

These changes could impact parking demand in the downtown and waterfront areas and the Parking Strategy needed to be refreshed to identify solutions for current parking challenges while developing a long term, financially sustainable plan that supports city growth over the next 20 years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the Parking Strategy recommends a $0.25 increase to the hourly rate, a $1.50 increase to the daily rate and a 10% increase to monthly and annual passes. The last rate increase was in 2014, so these changes will bring Barrie in line with peer municipalities and the inflation rate. Currently, the Parking Reserve is a user-funded program (not supported by property taxes). This model is most fair because it does not charge taxpayers who do not use the parking system (i.e. those that do not drive or do not own vehicle). Parking rate increases are necessary to get the Parking Reserve to a sustainable position by 2031. To reach a sustainable position sooner, more drastic rate increases would be necessary.
Parking lots should only be redeveloped in strategic situations where the project will act as a catalyst for growth in the downtown because demand is projected to exceed effective supply in the year 2041. Maintaining municipal parking supply in central locations such as the Collier Street Parkade is essential to avoid future parking issues. The 'Parking Equilibrium Policy' was included in the draft of the new Official Plan to secure the ability to negotiate the replacement of municipal parking during redevelopment.
A costly parking expansion project is not considered a good use of funds at this time, because it requires sacrificing valuable green space on the waterfront and the additional capacity is not needed outside of the summer season. Future demand projections confirm that parking issues will remain limited to summer weekends on the waterfront. Instead, the Parking Strategy recommends a Shuttle Pilot Project that connects underutilized downtown parking lots with Centennial Beach. The intent is to shift demand for parking away from the waterfront and encourage visitors to support local businesses.
Yes. In 2021, the City optimized the pricing structure by assigning green parking passes to parking lots with high utilization and yellow parking passes to parking lots with low utilization. Green parking passes cost more than yellow parking passes. The price difference drives behaviour change, easing congestion at busy lots and making underutilized lots such as the Collier Street Parkade more appealing. This was the original intent of the existing pricing structure, but it was updated to reflect the latest trends in demand.
This change was anticipated to take place in 2022, however has been delayed. Please refer to the Sept. 2021 memo to Council re Evening Paid Parking Investigation Deferral.
Engagement with business owners showed this was the preferred approach to addressing the deficit, as opposed to introducing Saturday paid parking, because it impacts all businesses equally. Currently, the patrons of daytime businesses such as retailers must pay for parking, while the patrons of evening businesses such as bars do not. Currently, the Parking Reserve is a user-funded program (not supported by property taxes). This model is most fair because it does not charge taxpayers who do not use the parking system (i.e. those that do not drive or do not own vehicle). Parking rate increases are necessary to get the Parking Reserve to a sustainable position by 2031.