Montreal Is Dropping Plans To Charge For Early Morning & Late Evening Downtown Parking
In case you were confused about those temporary parking stickers going up…
Cars on Crescent Street in downtown Montreal.
Montreal is no longer moving forward on a controversial plan to extend downtown parking meter payment times, following a chorus of criticism over the proposed policy.
Set to come into effect on April 1, the change would have meant new parking fees from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The proposed changes sparked a debate over a perceived lack of municipal government transparency. In response, the city placed stickers on downtown meters, indicating the proposed changes.
But that action was met with further criticism from businesses and opposition, prompting the Plante administration to announce a two-week moratorium on April 17 and, now, withdraw the changes entirely.
Ensemble Montréal urged the administration to respect the municipal council's authority on May 8, asserting that the by-law on tariffs should not be amended to restore parking rates to the previous schedule without consultation.
With the withdrawal of the measure, parking meters will continue to be in service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The price increase for on-street parking spaces is set to remain in effect, however. The increase, which is linked to the annual rate of inflation, was implemented on April 1.
It's unclear what impact the decision to withdraw the parking time extension will have on the city's future parking policy. But, for now, drivers downtown can expect the same parking times to which they've grown accustomed.
