Regina residents put in plug for better downtown parking options

Regina residents are sharing concerns about the need for better parking options downtown, saying the move to credit card payments at certain sites has not been a smooth change.

Mark Heise, an owner in Rebellion Brewing, is among those who have sent messages to the city via Twitter about frustrations with the new system. Heise said he would like to see the city do more to support downtown businesses.

"I love downtown. I want to spend money downtown," he said.

However, he often finds himself avoiding shopping in the city centre because he doesn't have change to plug meters.

"That is awful. And if I'm thinking that, there's obviously a lot of other people that are thinking that."

Pay stations vs. individual meters

Regina began introducing credit card-capable meters in 2015, but Heise says the system is inconsistent, with the individual meter stalls set up only in certain strips of downtown.

Other cities have pay stations that people can use to pay for any spot on the street, with a credit card or by using their phone, he said.

"It's what I expect whenever I travel in North America, except in Regina," he said.

At other times, he has found the credit card-capable meters are out of order or don't work. There are about 85 credit-card capable meters in Regina.

The city responded with a statement saying that it was not aware of any "significant malfunction" at any of its meters, but changes to weather can affect credit card-capable parking meters, like any other meters.

The city's parking maintenance crew works daily to resolve issues when they arise, according to Laurie Shalley, director for community services.