Valérie Plante acknowledged that the extension of parking meter pricing hours in the city center had resulted in a mess. The mayoress announced a two-week moratorium on Monday in order to delay the entry into force of this measure so as to carry out consultations with merchants and partners.
The daily The Gazette reported Friday that stickers affixed to parking bollards in the city center indicated that motorists would now be charged for parking their cars according to a new schedule. On weekdays, the pricing period was to extend until 11 p.m., instead of 9 p.m. On Saturday, parking was to be paid from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., instead of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., instead of 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Not only did the merchants not hear of the entry into force of this measure put in place by the Sustainable Mobility Agency, but the Plante administration was also unaware of it. “Yes, there was a mess,” admitted Mayor Plante when questioned by the opposition Monday at the city council meeting. “I learned Friday evening through the Gazette and it is not acceptable. When we put measures in place, it is well attached. We make a communication plan. We consult the partners. It has not been done and that is a problem in this case. »
Valérie Plante has therefore indicated that the project will be put on hold for two weeks, the time to carry out consultations. According to her, this measure can promote fluidity and better accessibility of parking spaces for customers of downtown businesses. “This measure is not about money, but about behavior change, to support small traders who need to have customers,” she said.
The Commercial Development Corporation (SDC) Montreal downtown, however, called for a one-year moratorium, argued the leader of Ensemble Montreal, Aref Salem. Earlier Monday, Mr. Salem had pointed out that an extension of pricing hours could harm the downtown area which is struggling to recover from the pandemic. “We are coming out of a pandemic. We have a city center that is empty. We already have problems for the merchants on Sainte-Catherine Street and here we come with an increase in [l’horaire des] tariffs without any consultation,” he said. According to him, in addition to penalizing merchants, this measure harms residents who live downtown.
Internal memo
The elected official is also surprised that the administration can ignore the existence of this project since an internal note on this subject had been sent to all the boroughs on February 8 by the Urban Planning and Mobility Department. In her letter, the director of the service, Lucie Careau, mentioned that 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 parking spaces on street and improve mobility in the city centre”.
This memo also mentioned a 3% increase in parking meter prices in the other boroughs, which Aref Salem also considers “quite acceptable”. “The SDCs were not consulted. We impose, and after that, we consult, ”he lamented. “It takes consensus. »
Even if this directive had been sent to all the boroughs, including those held by elected officials from Ensemble Montréal, Aref Salem maintains that he was not aware of the new parking meter schedule for the city center.
For its part, the SDC Montréal centre-ville welcomed the administration’s decision to temporarily suspend the application of the new schedule, but that is not enough. She also says she is “firmly” opposed to the proposed schedule change. “We are asking the City of Montreal for a moratorium of at least one year before any modification to the pricing schedules in the city center in order to allow a proper evaluation and, above all, a notice long enough to allow the adjustment. habits, ”commented Glenn Castanheira, general manager of Montreal centre-ville, in a press release.