New Westmount parking system creates mass confusion, merchant says
Laurene Jardin | CBC News | Posted: May 24, 2016 1:50 PM | Last Updated: May 24, 2016
Pay-by-plate system aimed at address parking shortage in city
One Westmount merchant says the city's new pay-by-plate system aimed at creating more parking spaces is having the opposite effect.
Tom Forestell, owner of Papeterie Westmount on Sherbrooke Street, told Daybreak on Tuesday that the city's new measures to eradicate designated parking have created major confusion.
"You could play carnival music in the background, because that's what it looks like," said Forestell, after he described a scene of large SUV drivers bumping in to one another in an attempt to park in a designated space.
While parking has been an issue for merchants in the area for the last 25 years, this new system is not the solution, he said.
The city launched the new parking system in early May 2016.
It allows drivers to enter their license plates in to the system, which then charges them based on the amount of time their car is parked.
In getting rid of paying for spots, the City of Westmount also decided to get rid of parking lines or designated parking.
It will do so by not repainting last year's parking lines. But Forestell said the city needs "more lines, not less."
Bad for business
Forestell's main concern is that in removing the lines, there will be fewer parking spaces, leading to fewer customers who have access to cafés, boutiques and other businesses in the area.
"We don't want to see spaces under-utilized," said Forestell.
Forestell took photos of badly parked cars saying that the lines are important indicators that let drivers know how to park.
But Phil Cutler, the city councillor responsible for the initiative, said the new system actually allows for more parking spots.
The older 20-foot parking spots were designed to accommodate large SUVs and that not everyone owns an SUV, he said.
Under the new system, people are able to park closer together, he said.
"We save 15 per cent of available space," he said.