The Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) is re-examining the fee structure for its paid parking pilot, as well as looking at strategies on how it could be more inclusive to neighboring municipalities.
“Through the 2020 budget, we had identified the $10 per hour rate, however through a number of different discussions with members of council, there was the thought that there might be the desire to come up with a different type of fee schedule for the parking,” said TBM CAO, Shawn Everitt.
Town staff are now looking at the possibility of a staggered pricing system.
Everitt presented council with the example: $2 per hour for the first three hours and $5 for every extra hour afterwards, to a maximum of six hours.
TBM mayor Alar Soever says one of the main goals of the paid parking pilot is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy TBM’s waterfront properties.
“We do want to make our waterfront accessible but we don’t want people staying at the beach all day and not giving others a chance to come there,” Soever said. “It is important that people feel safe at the beach and not crowded out.”
The municipality will also be considering a seasonal parking pass that would be for residents of neighbouring municipalities, such as Collingwood and Meaford.
“The intent is to maximize the number of people who can use the beaches without them getting overcrowded,” Soever said. “Obviously, we want to give preference to our local residents and even some from neighboring communities, but not exclude people that might want to visit and contribute to our economy.”
Under the proposed plan, residents and taxpayers of the Blue Mountains would not be required to pay the parking fee.
Staff are currently discussing how they will go about providing residents with a physical parking pass to hang in their vehicles.
TBM will also be looking to implement parking controls along the streets that surround the paid parking areas, beginning in the next few weeks and continuing until Oct. 31.
Town staff have identified a number of streets that they believe may become an issue, some of which will be marked with ‘no parking’ signs in the coming weeks.
For a detailed listing of the TBM streets under consideration for parking restrictions, view Schedule ‘E’ in the TBM COVID-19 Phase 1 Reopening Plan staff report.
“We want to sign the streets that we know will be the most impacted and then come up with some creative solutions for those other areas,” Everitt noted. “One of the streets we have identified if Swiss Meadows Boulevard because again, as Blue Mountain Resort begins to reopen, we want to make sure that Swiss Meadows does not get taken over.”
TBM staff will be bringing a report to council on June 29, then council will decide on the paid parking rate, seasonal pass options and parking restrictions.
