CENTRE WELLINGTON – Paid parking is being recommended for Fergus and Elora as part of Centre Wellington’s proposed Downtown Parking Strategy.
The final report will be presented at Monday’s council meeting.
According to the document, paid parking is recommended in three-hour limits between 9am and 7pm in Elora and Fergus.
See recommended pricing structure shown below.
photo: from report
In Fergus, the road segments that are recommended for paid parking implementation include:
- St. Andrew Street, between Breadalbane Street to Cameron Street.
- St. David Street, between St. Andrew Street and St. Patrick Street.
- Menzies Lot, behind the Fergus Public Library.
- St. Patrick Lot at Provost Lane.
In Elora, the road segments that are recommended for paid parking implementation include:
- Metcalfe Street, between Moir Street and East Mill Street.
- East Mill Street, between Metcalfe Street and Princess Street.
- Carlton Place, between Victoria Street and Wellington Road 7.
- Price Street, between James Street and West Mill Street.
- Geddes Street, between Metcalfe Street and East Mill Street.
- James Street, between James Crescent and Metcalfe Street.
- Henderson Street, between Smith Street and Geddes Street.
- Colborne Street, between Geddes Street and Princess Street.
- Margaret Street near James Street.
The report gives future pricing considerations that include a daily parking maximum in areas where lower parking turnover is more acceptable, a daily parking maximum based on five to seven times the hourly rate, and setting a dynamic pricing scheme where pricing is adjusted based on parking demand.
It also considers providing residents with 1-hour free parking in both downtown Elora and Fergus.
The document also says based on the revenue received from the proposed paid parking system, the township can consider expanding its shuttle bus service even further throughout the entirety of May and September.
“This could mean expanded hours throughout the day or adding additional shuttle buses to the program in order to increase the transit frequency (to decrease wait times at stops) and/or adding more bus stops.”
For now, staff are bringing forward the final report for information only, with a recommendation to implement some of the recommended initiatives and projects in 2024 including parking enforcement and the shuttle program.
“The remaining items from the Strategy will be brought forward in conjunction with the 2025 Budget (during pre-budget meetings). This will give staff time to assess the impacts of each initiative and the associated cost and funding plan. This approach will give Council time to review the Municipal Downtown Parking Strategy and consider adoption of the Strategy during these budget meetings,” the report said.
The final report will be presented for information at tonight’s 6pm meeting.
You can read the full 599 page parking strategy here.
