THUNDER BAY — If Brian Hamilton's proposal is approved by city council, there will be a significant curtailment of the hours during which motorists are required to pay for parking in Thunder Bay.
The McKellar ward councillor revealed his intention earlier this month to pursue a two-to-four hour reduction in the current enforcement period.
But his notice of motion, now made public, goes farther than that, with a proposal to scale back paid parking by five hours daily Monday to Saturday.
'I'm asking council to consider amending the Parking Financial Plan, which would actually alter the hours of enforcement. Right now it's 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. across the system. I'm asking for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I anticipate it'll be supported by council," he said in an interview.
"It's taking a bit to get there. Unfortunately, there is a process. I wish I could do this overnight, but there is a process, so right now the law of the land is 'til 9 p.m. So I'd encourage everybody to continue to respect those unless you want tickets, but know that help is coming, and we'll be able to provide some relief in the coming weeks."
Downtown businesses, particularly restaurants, have complained the new regulations implemented last June have detrimentally impacted customers as well as their staff.
Hamilton himself owns a coffee shop on Algoma Street South in downtown Port Arthur.
Under the rules that govern council, Hamilton's motion can't be considered until Dec. 9th.
His plan has already won the endorsement of the Waterfront District BIA.
Executive director Kara Pratt said returning to the enforcement hours that were previously in place would be welcomed by downtown businesses.
"We are in support of the reduced hours of nine to six. Anything that helps the small businesses is appreciated. That's really where we stand...We are thankful that he's brought something forward, and we hope to see a difference."
Pratt said the Waterfront District BIA would also like to see the city do more to publicize the fact that parking in the downtown parkades for 24 hours costs only five dollars.
"So, if you go in at five in the afternoon, then you can leave at 4:59 pm the next day, and it's five dollars. They've cleaned it up, they put lighting in there, they have security on site. They've done a lot of work, but I don't think the public knows about it."
