Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

COVID-19

Paid on-street parking in downtown Kamloops to return next week; lots and parkades to remain free

May 12, 2020 | 4:31 PM

KAMLOOPS — Paid on-street parking will return to downtown Kamloops next Tuesday.

Fees for downtown parking were lifted on March 20 in order to encourage shoppers to patronize businesses hard hit by the restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

But with restrictions slowly being lifted, the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association (KCBIA) has requested council reinstate paid parking to help move vehicles along.

At Kamloops council’s regular meeting today, that spurred a debate over the best way to help downtown businesses. Councillor Denis Walsh, a downtown business owner, argued that Victoria Street is busy, but free parking could still benefit other parts of the downtown.

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“I think we’re going too deep, too fast,” said Walsh. “We’re still in the middle of this health and economic crisis. Local business is essential to our economy and we need to help them out. I agree that we need to do something for Victoria Street, but I’m looking right now at St. Paul and there isn’t a car on the street.”

Community and Protective Services Director Byron McCorkell responded that the best way to help businesses right now is to get parked cars moving at regular intervals.

“The BIA approached us to not have paid parking and now the BIA has approached us to put paid parking back in because they need to see the turnover of vehicles,” said McCorkell. “The only way we can effectively do that is through paid parking which is why paid parking is in existence.”

Surface parking lots and parkades operated by the City of Kamloops will remain free. Some free express stalls will remain in place to allow customers to make quick pickups from restaurants and other stores.

Councillor Mike O’Reilly, a former downtown business owner himself, said it’s getting to the point in the pandemic where free parking will be more a hindrance than a help.

“It did work for a time when they first opened their doors, but as these businesses are trying to get a little bit more successful — even break even, dare I say — it’s getting busier and harder to do that. Paying for parking is a tool of managing parking and this will help the economic recovery and help the business that are trying to open,” said O’Reilly.

A decision on whether to reinstate fees for surface lots and parkades is expected in August.