Pay parking, on-street time limits returning to Saskatoon on Monday

Paid parking and residential street parking time limits are coming back to Saskatoon next week.

City council’s governance and priorities committee voted 10-1 in favour of resuming the programs as of May 25, during a teleconference meeting on Tuesday.

Parking was made free in pay parking zones on March 20 as a form of relief for residents in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parking time limits were also removed on residential streets.

City staff presented a report to the committee advocating for the return of pay parking on June 1, noting how much revenue has been lost since the program was halted.

The report stated the same time period in 2019 — March 20 to June 1 — generated $1.88 million in revenue for the city, with $1.25 million coming from paid parking and another $630,000 being generated from fines. However, about $145,000 was saved in expenses during the pandemic because of the lack of parking enforcement required.

City councillors opted for bringing the program back a week earlier than the staff recommendation, after over an hour of debate.

Despite all councillors being part of the governance and priorities committee, another vote must be held by city council to make the reinstatement of the programs official. That requirement led to the committee voting 9-2 in favour of holding a special city council meeting later this week to pass the motion that would bring paid parking back on May 25.

Coun. Sarina Gersher voted against the May 25 date, citing support for administration’s proposed date of June 1 to give residents more time to prepare for the changes. Gersher and Coun. Hilary Gough voted against the special meeting.

With the WayToPark app at the city’s disposal, the administration believes it could encourage a “no-touch” way for residents to pay for parking.

The administration also explained what can be done in the event the application isn’t available for drivers.

“While we recognize not everyone has access to the app, hand sanitizer is now more widely available. This allows the public to take the necessary precautions, should they need to use the FlexParking pay stations,” the report reads.

—With files from 650 CKOM’s Brady Lang.