DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard
KAWARTHA LAKES: Members of Kawartha Lakes council heard an update, regarding the Downtown Parking Strategy for Lindsay, Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon, at a meeting on Tuesday, June 1st.
Peter Richards, of the IBI Group, a consultant group working on the parking strategy. made the updated presentation.
The strategy takes into account the city’s parking needs from now up to the year 2041. However, Mr. Richards explained this plan could be changed as situations change in the municipality.
“This is a guiding document, to continue to refine,” he stated.
Mr. Richards gave councillors a short summary of the parking strategy’s findings.
“Based on industry best practices and the three surveys we undertook in the three core areas, the existing parking system is considered sufficient to meet existing parking demand. Some individual lots, or on-street parking areas, are at or near capacity. But there are several parking facilities within an acceptable walking distance of downtown destinations [which] are underutilized in the three core areas.”
However, he noted, the demand for parking is expected to increase as the city’s population grows. The parking strategy recommends adding 221 new parking spaces in Lindsay and 105 new spaces in Fenelon Falls, to take care of this increased demand.
The plan also calls for three-hour parking limits, at municipal parking lots, in downtown Lindsay, and in the summer at prime parking areas in Fenelon Falls. The parking duration recommendation for Bobcaygeon is to introduce a two-hour parking limit for “prime parking assets” in the summer.
Also, in Bobcaygeon, the report asks for the city to allow the Foodland store owners and managers to enforce parking time limits in their parking lot.
Parking signage was identified as an issue for residents. The parking strategy recommends the city start a wayfinding signage master plan.
Councillors later voted to receive the parking strategy report and adopt it as a master plan for the city. However, as this was a Committee of the Whole meeting, the decision still needs to be endorsed at the next regular council meeting on June 15th.