2 weeks Ago By Edmonton Journal
Come July 31, parking in public parking spaces will mean using your smartphone. Period. Instead of spending millions in city capital to update obsolete machine technology that has moved from 3G networks to the language of 5G networks, the City of Edmonton has outsourced all parking measures with Hot Spot, already in use around the city and working for thousands of motorists eager to hop out of their cars.
Now it’s time to pay that piper and, come July 31, the machines won’t work at all, city council heard Wednesday. Those who don’t yet have a smartphone may be in for sticker shock. Excluding the cost of the phone itself, which can easily go beyond $1,000, an extra monthly fee can easily go above $50.
According to MadeinCa.ca, Albertans over 15 are the most likely in Canada to have a smartphone — that’s more than 93 per cent. Millenials are the most likely to have a phone, and usage among seniors is still on the rise, but not expected to get to fully 100 per cent adoption.
As the City of Edmonton moves to eliminate cash and credit card parking machines, irate Edmontonians — and business groups — are digging in their heels. Cheryll Watson suspects there will be those who come Downtown, check out a new restaurant or bop into a favourite shoe store, come back to a ticket on their car — and vow to avoid Downtown altogether. Access continues to be a problem for Downtown businesses, the chairwoman of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition said.
“City infrastructure services group has basically shut down the majority of the major routes to Downtown. If you’re coming from the west end, it’s nearly impossible for you to get to Downtown,” Watson said. “We’ve got small business owners, restaurants, retailers that are barely come out of COVID, but yet still are committed to having their business located Downtown, because they see the value of it — but no one can get to them,” she said.
The coalition has been calling on employers to bring employees back to work Downtown. “We need the vibrancy. We need the foot traffic,” she said, citing an administration disconnected from the day-to-day citizen experience and the day-to-day business experience.
“If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say there’s a bit of a war on Downtown from city administration. It’s like they want Downtown to fail,” she said. The 124 Street and Area Business Association announced Thursday it stands in full support of the coalition’s bid for a better strategy, and free off-hours parking, said executive director Luwam Kiflemariam in a news release.
“We work hard to attract visitors, support entrepreneurs, and create a welcoming, walkable environment. Replacing parking meters with a mobile-only system creates unnecessary friction, especially for seniors, tourists, and anyone without a smartphone or data plan.” Coun.
Aaron Paquette brought a motion for more due process to city council Wednesday. “This motion comes from hearing from folks in my ward who are little bit worried, mostly seniors, about what this changeover would mean for them, for ease of parking. Many of them just pay cash.
Many of them don’t have smartphones. And so the current transition leaves them in a little bit of a limbo as far as how they’re going to proceed,” Paquette said. The council was told cash transactions represent the smallest portion of revenue, with the majority of parking purchases now made by credit card.
Coun. Sarah Hamilton envisioned a trip to the Citadel or the Winspear on “one of those spectacular -30 C days.” “For a lot of seniors (without using a smartphone), this is a realistic issue.
Where is the closest private parking place where there’s a machine to be used?” she asked. Edmonton will be one of the largest Canadian cities to move to a mobile-only parking system, but similar systems already exist in smaller municipalities such as Prince George and Jasper. Some private parking providers in Edmonton have already adopted mobile-only payments.
Jenny Albers, planning and permitting, traffic operations at the City of Edmonton, said currently 60 per cent of parking transactions take place at EPark machines. Of those, 90 per cent use credit cards and 10 per cent use coins. Drivers can pay using a new app for iOS or Android and manage monthly passes for city parkades.
People can pay hourly, for monthly passes, and track how much time is left with 24-7 customer support. In a few months, residential parking permits will be managed through HotSpot as well. Edmonton signed a four-year potentially extendable contract with HotSpot for $2.
52 million, according to the city’s public bid website. Some may be wistful for almost 4,000 parking meters the city once boasted. In the heyday of paid parking in Edmonton, in 1948, a penny got you 12 minutes, a nickel fetched an hour.
Fines were a buck. These days, there are how-to videos on line, targeted to those who have the most trouble with new “smart” technology. Among the city’s concessions for those with a disability, Edmontonians with accessible placards receive two hours parking at no charge in EPark zones when accessible parking zones are unavailable.
Those without smart phones will have some more steps to go through each time they park. Customers who have a basic mobile phone could set up a HotSpot Account using the HotSpot website. Account holders can call customer support to have an agent set up payment on their behalf.
Callers must have an account with credit card information on file because agents cannot accept payment over the phone. Customers who do not have a mobile phone but have a credit card can set-up a HotSpot Account using the HotSpot website. To pay by phone, call HotSpot (1-855-712-5888) from a landline prior to leaving your home, let them know the area you will be parking in and have them set up your parking session.
Customers without a phone, credit card or debit card to pay will need to ask a trusted friend or family member to manage their parking account through the HotSpot Parking app or website. [email protected] Related Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.
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