Montreal is backing down on a project to extend the periods charged by parking meters in the city center, which had been started in the last few days by the Sustainable Mobility Agency (AMD). The Plante administration deplores in particular not having had the time to discuss with the commercial community.
“It’s really unfortunate because it caused a lot of confusion. They left with this pantyhose operation without anyone knowing. When we were made aware, we immediately put a stop to all this deployment, ”deplored the transport manager on the executive committee, Sophie Mauzerolle, on Monday on 98.5 FM.
First seen this weekend downtown, these new stickers indicated that the parking meters would henceforth be in effect on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., whereas the current schedule is more like 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturdays, the tariffed period would now be from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., compared to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until now, and on Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the tariffed schedule is currently from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. .
Deploring the “confusion”, Mme Mauzerolle recognizes all the same that there is an “intention” of the City which is indeed behind this project, several “proposals” having already been discussed. “That said, we did not have the opportunity to discuss with our partners, our SDCs, the merchants, as we always do when there are proposed modifications”, she said Monday.
Planned and announced
An internal rating obtained by The Press and transmitted at the beginning of February by the director of the Urban Planning and Mobility Department, Lucie Careau, clearly mentions these changes to come. It is argued in particular that the extension of the time slots in the city center is planned “from 1er April 2023, where demand remains strong outside the tariff periods”.
“By being more consistent with the opening hours of bars, restaurants and other attractions, these new time slots will make it possible to increase the availability of on-street parking spaces and improve mobility in the city centre,” writes Ms.me Careau in his missive.
The new time slots, tranche Mme Careau in his note, will be Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. and Sunday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. These are the same times that were seen on the new stickers.
“We wanted to go and meet our partners, chat with them a bit, discuss and see what they thought. But there, obviously, there were really steps that were skipped. The machine got carried away and it left faster than us. There, we put all that on hold. We are going to see our world as we always do, ”sophie Mauzerolle justified herself again.
“Never been consulted”
At the Société de développement commercial Montréal centre-ville, general manager Glenn Castanheira deplores a “fuzzy” process. “It really looks like it went between two chairs. Themselves, at the City, didn’t seem too aware of that. And we were never consulted,” he laments.
His group is asking for a “moratorium of at least one year before changing the schedules, so that we can have a proper discussion”.
“We don’t want to have a discussion when the decision has already been made,” continues Mr. Castanheira, who favors modular parking pricing. “It’s a best practice, it makes it possible to have more affordable parking lots where it’s less busy, and to redirect people. That said, extending until 9 a.m. on Sundays and 11 p.m. on weekdays, we do not understand it at all, ”he insists.
In the opposition benches, leader Aref Salem did not fail to condemn the situation. “With Projet Montréal, it’s the same thing every time: we set up, we inform and we consult at the end. Everything is finely orchestrated to quietly swallow a new tax in disguise for citizens, ”he insists.
“The administration may say that it will consult the partners and that it is a simple mess, its decision has already been made, as evidenced by the budget and a directive sent to the boroughs last February”, insisted Mr. Salem, deploring that “these new time slots are deplorable and harmful” and that “the administration must undertake to abolish this decision”.