‘A miss’: Mayor admits to lack of foresight with downtown parking payment changes as he works to rectify concerns

Regina’s mayor says he’s heard concerns about the move away from coins and physical parking meters and is working to find a solution that works for everyone.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski says he is going to work with city administration to address concerns following changes to downtown parking payment.

It comes after council passed amendments during budget talks in December to street parking payment options, moving to a fully app-based system.

The mayor says he has been flooded with emails and phone calls from residents around the change.

“It’s folks who may not have either a smart phone or a credit card and want to park on the street downtown,” Bachynski told CTV News Friday. “This is a bit of a miss at budget time from both council and administration when we considered this, in terms of that particular scenario.”

On March 1, the City of Regina will transition to PayByPhone as the only payment option, removing the ability to use coins at meters to pay for parking.

Over the past few days, Mayor Bachynski says he has already begun working with city administration to address concerns he’s received.

“We hear you,” the mayor iterated. “I appreciate the feedback. So if we did consider a scenario, this is what it’s all about: When there’s a concern like this, that are valid concerns, in terms of accessibility for options and allowing people to get around our city.”

Bags with instructions on the new process have already begun to be placed over existing meters downtown to prevent people trying to pay with coins.

Following Wednesday’s council meeting, Bachynski told reporters the city will be working with residents to help them navigate the new process.

He also hoped the cashless system would make parking more flexible for the entire city.

“This system is a lot of other municipalities are moving towards,” he said Feb. 25. “It’s kind of taking that step to say we’re going to move into a more modern system. And then if we need to change hours of parking in a zone, or the way a parking zone is administered, it actually gives us more flexibility when you don’t have the physical meters there.”

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Bachynski hopes to discuss solutions at the city’s next executive committee meeting Wednesday.

The mayor also confirmed Friday the changes will still be going into effect Sunday while he and council attempt to address resident’s concerns.

“What I’m told is [admin] has a relatively straightforward idea, an amendment, they’re going to bring forward that we should be able to act on quite quickly,” Bachynski said.

Posted time limits and other parking regulations will remain in effect, according to the city, and payment will still be required when a meter is covered.

In the interim, the city is pointing to private lots with additional parking options which remain available for drivers in the downtown.

On-street parking remains free after 5 p.m. and on weekends as well.

Regina residents will still be able to pay for parking using the PayByPhone app, online at PayByPhone.com or by calling 1-888-680-7275.

More information about the new system can be found here.

The City of Regina says the removal of coin payment for downtown parking was approved through 2026-27 budget deliberations, which supported the move towards more efficient digital service options.

-With files with Caitlin Brezinski