REGINA, Sask. — The City of Regina is looking at potentially adding more paid parking zones near the General Hospital, Pasqua Hospital and on Victoria Avenue and Angus Street in Cathedral.
"The goal will be to increase the turnover by requiring payment," according to the city council pre-budget meeting agenda.
The agenda also points out that Regina is "among the lowest in the country" for the number of paid parking zones per capita. If the paid parking zones are implemented, the city expects a return on investment of $110,000.
Small businesses in Cathedral, such as Pause Coffee and Groovy Mama, have raised concerns. Pause Coffee manager Alayne Dubord says that "if we add more paid parking to the streets, it will put more of a burden on our already small lot that we have and will be a deterrent for the small community feel that we have in Cathedral."
Dubord said that the "already heavily residential neighbourhood" doesn't need more obstacles when it comes to navigating around.
Cara Zimmerman, owner of Groovy Mama — a baby store on 13th Avenue — thinks there could be "positives and negatives" that come with added paid parking in Cathedral. On the positive side, Zimmerman thinks there could potentially be more turnover in apartment buildings in the area due to increased paid parking, though she worries about her customers' convenience.
"The majority of my clients are either carrying a baby, dragging a toddler, or pregnant, so having really easily accessible parking is a real priority for me. Adding another layer of having to stop and pay seems like an added annoyance that would not be a benefit to my customers," says Zimmerman.
Ward 5 councillor Sarah Turnbull is especially concerned about adding paid parking zones around hospitals.
"What we're doing is we are now penalizing and putting fines on our most vulnerable population, plus those are areas where we are building more housing as part of our renewal, and a lot of those residents do park on the street," says Turnbull.
Turnbull also says she would like more information on the subject, but at present she is opposed to the notion.
City council will make a final decision in December.
