Marianne Meed Ward
Residents and businesses have spoken, and they overwhelming want the Free P! program for the month of December to continue; they also want steps taken to curb abuses of the program and ensure it is available for visitors to the downtown.
I conducted a recent resident survey that showed overwhelming support to keep Free P!, and that it significantly influenced decisions to come downtown – which was the primary goal of the program. Highlights:
- 601 respondents, 52% of whom live or work outside the downtown
- 88% supporting keeping the program, and making changes to curb abuses by permit holders
- 88% said Free P! strongly or somewhat influenced their decision to visit downtown.
The Burlington Downtown Business Association also surveyed their members and found majority support to keep Free P!:
- 154 businesses responded (35% of the membership)
- 58% have their own on-site parking for employees, staff and/or customers
- 67% support maintaining Free P!
The city will employ several strategies to curb parking abuses (eg. Permit holders parking in lots they are not assigned to, closer to their destination):
- Delayed opening of the Brant St and Elizabeth Street lots; the lots will be barricaded and closed from 7-9 am to encourage downtown workers to park in their regular spots
- License plate scan to determine if a registered permit holder is parking outside their assigned lot; sanctions for repeated infractions will be imposed (eg. Denial of permit for 2018)
Public survey summary: FREE P parking engagement Oct 5 2017
Business survey results: FREE-P-2017-results-and-next-steps
