City council considering paid parking at Edmonton facilities

Edmonton’s city council is considering options to bring in paid parking at city attractions like the zoo and recreation centres.

Councillor Michael Janz is leading the way.

He says parking lots are expensive for the city to maintain and keep clean and right now taxpayers are footing the bill.

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As the council looks for creative ways to stabilize city finances, he suggests drivers who use the lots should pay for the upkeep.

City staff are working on a report that will outline how paid parking could work at city facilities.

Janz acknowledges it’s likely an unpopular idea, but the alternative could be raising admission fees.

“Nobody wants to pay for parking, nobody wants to pay to go to the zoo, nobody wants to pay for swimming, but the reality is there are certain things that we have a cost for, and that the cost of your admission at the zoo goes to pay for the zoo,” said Janz, who represents south-central Ward papastew. “The cost of your parking at the zoo should support the parking at the zoo.”

Paid parking could also apply to the Telus World of Science.

The facility is independently operated, but the city owns the parking lot.

A Telus World of Science spokesperson confirms it’s discussing paid parking with the city.

Janz suggests parking fees should be flexible with people from out of town paying more and low-income Edmontonians paying less.

The city report is due in May.