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Mayor Jyoti Gondek said it’s possible council will revisit the issue during the November budget discussions
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City administrators are delaying planned changes to the residential parking permit program following pushback from both Calgarians and council members.
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The policy changes, which would require mostly inner-city residents to pay for permits for parking on the street outside their residences, have been pushed to Dec. 4 from the original implementation date of Aug. 1.
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Existing residential parking permits will remain valid until that time, with residents who want to ditch a parking permit system on their streets able to request the city conduct a signage review to be completed in the intervening months.
The delay comes after city administrators received 180 such requests since the announcement of the fee, which drew frustration from some residents and prompted 10 of Calgary’s 15 council members to sign on to a notice of motion calling to halt the program and seek an alternation option.
Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot spearheaded that motion, but said he was OK with it being withdrawn Tuesday after city administrators proposed delaying its implementation.
“I think what’s being proposed is an eloquent alternative. It still provides us and residents the ability to challenge the need for the current residential parking permit zones, or look for alternatives,” Chabot said.
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“Ultimately, I’m still of the opinion that everyone should have the ability to park at least one car in proximity to their residence.”
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City council voted in favour of the residential parking fees during last fall’s budget deliberations as a cost-recovery option, with residents asked to pay $50 annually for their first permit, $75 for their second and $125 for their third, plus $75 each for up to two visitor passes. The December implementation means the city will still receive the expected revenue from the program this fiscal year.
Whether those rules are ultimately put in place isn’t yet set in stone, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said. She said it’s possible council could opt to revisit the issue during November’s budget discussions.
“This could be opened wider, because there are members of council — and I tend to be one — that say, ‘let public parking be public parking,’ ” she said. “I don’t know which way council will go on this when it comes in November. It’s become a pretty fulsome conversation, so we shall see.”
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Several council members including Gondek voiced frustration with city officials for failing to bring forward a solution before the public release of a notice of motion signed by a majority of councillors.
“There were weeks that went by when this idea first came forward where administration had the opportunity to take action,” Gondek told administrators during Tuesday’s council meeting.
“If we’re going to build a trusting relationship, we need to see action a lot quicker.”
The city said those who wish to have their residential parking zone reviewed may call 311 or submit an online service request. After completing their review, the city will send letters to residents of any affected blocks if any changes are made.
jherring@postmedia.com
Twitter: @jasonfherring
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