How long can I park my vehicle in downtown Port Coquitlam?

Changes to parking in downtown Port Coquitlam are about to shift into high gear this year.

Last week, city hall staff presented the findings of an external study that looked at proposed time limits as well as new places to park in the downtown core between Kingsway and Atkins avenues and Maple Street.

The PoCo-based consulting group, Creative Transportation Solutions (CTS), is recommending tightening on-street parking times — with the shortest visits, at 30 minutes, along part of McAllister Avenue near city hall.

In addition, one-hour limits are proposed for parts of Shaughnessy Street, and Marpole, Whyte, McAllister and Elgin avenues while two-hour restrictions would apply for the outer sections of those streets plus Mary Hill Road, Donald Street and Wilson Avenue.

There would be no time limits to park on the furthest core roads like Kingsway and Atkins avenues, as well as Maple Street.

The aim of the restrictions is to create a higher turnover for on-street parking in the downtown, which is currently undergoing a revitalization with more development, said Joshua Frederick, PoCo’s director of engineering and public works.

A formal report is expected to come before city council this spring for implementation.

According to the CTS study that started last summer, on-street parking is the busiest around 1 p.m. on weekdays and weekends; for off-street parking, about 50 per cent of the stalls are taken up around 1 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends.

Last fall, the city struck a deal with Samz Pub to create 55 new public parking spots in its underground lot plus room for some of the city’s bylaw fleet.

As well, the municipality has cleared a site along Kingsway Avenue, east of the Shaughnessy Street underpass, for 100 public parking stalls while a city hall parking area is expected to open soon at Kingsway and Wilson Avenue, at the former BC Hydro substation.

City staff are looking if that lot — across from the West Coast Express station — could be used by the public after business hours.

Council reaction

Asked by Coun. Glenn Pollock about the West Coast Express riders who are parking in the underground at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre (PCCC) to avoid the daily charge, Dominic Long, PoCo’s director of community safety and corporate services, said bylaw officers are monitoring the parking abuses.

Coun. Nancy McCurrach said she’d like to see more wayfinding signs for parking around the downtown, especially next to PCCC, while Coun. Steve Darling said PoCo sports managers are now advising visiting teams about the PCCC underground lot.

“It is a commonly held view that there is no parking in downtown Port Coquitlam,” Mayor Brad West said at the committee-of-council meeting on Jan. 9, noting the city is creating 250 parking stalls in its core.

West said there needs to be a shift in thinking about downtown parking, as shoppers and people seeking services “might have to walk a few minutes” to get to where they’re going rather than park in front of the businesses.

West and Pollock said PoCo is one of the few Metro Vancouver municipalities that offers free parking in its downtown.