Parking changes around the city

City puts in new street parking spots as they continue to make changes to parking in the core. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

City Hall is tweaking parking and adding new metres. The changes are part of a yearly duty.

“We take all our data from the summer. What’s busy? What’s not? Then in the winter we go, ‘Hey, let’s get some here. Let’s get some here,’” said Bill Kralovensky, supervisor of Parking Enforcement.

The City of Windsor has added parking spots across the city and have projects on the go to improve service to residents. A noticeable difference can be seen on Chatham Street between Goyeau Street and Ouellette Avenue, where eight new parking spots are lined up along the south side of the road.

Some may view the new spots as a money grab.

“No, it’s not just about the revenue that we collect,” Kravolensky told CTV News. “It’s turnover for the businesses. These are all transient parking spots so parking here for the maximum two hours … is going to help a business.

Earlier this week, three spots were added on University Avenue between Ouellette and Pelissier Street, which were welcomed by businesses.

“Now with the new bike lanes [on Pelissier], the adjustments there, the turning lane is over about 20 feet [away from the southwest corner], so now there is more room to make your radius curve, so boom, now it’s safe,” Kravolensky said about the right turn from Pelissier to University Avenue.

Accessible spots were added on Victoria Avenue, which helps downtown visitors, especially those visiting the Capitol Theatre and nearby restaurants. There are also 14 new spots on Drouillard Road in Ford City, which includes accessible parking,

“In front of Gino A. Marcus Community Centre, we got three new accessible parking spots for people that need those,” said Kravolensky.

Many of the new spots have parking meters with a yellow base. Kravolensky said older ones could be painted as well to help point out the obvious.

With new bike lanes, parking was restructured on Victoria and Pelissier. Victoria was tweaked and the changes have worked well, according to Kravolensky.

“From the biking community, we got all thumbs up. Even original naysayers, once we fixed things up, [they said], ‘Wow, that works well. What are you going to do next?’”

Kravolensky said the Pelissier Street parking garage will undergo some changes, including music played in the elevator vestibule. Each floor will have a theme, and classical music played by the Windsor Symphony will play when a sensor detects someone waiting.

“I wanted the roof to be Metallica, but I got voted down on that,” Kravolensky quipped.

Downtown BIA Chair Chris MacLeod likes the changes and appreciates the extra spots, but would like the city to get rid of the coined meters.

“The city already uses the passport parking app,” MacLeod noted. “I watched the coin collectors come down here and take coins out of these meters. I mean, it’s archaic.”

He also feels areas like downtown, Walkerville, and Sandwich are all unfairly penalized because of the meters while other parts of the city don’t have them.

“There’s inequality in our parking system and we have the tools,” MacLeod said. “We just need the political will to roll it out.”