Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Starting September 9, 2014, two changes to parking in downtown Oakville will make it more convenient and efficient for anyone shopping, dining or visiting the area.
“These parking upgrades are just the start of facilitating even easier and more convenient access to all of the worthwhile experiences downtown Oakville has to offer,” Mayor Rob Burton said. “Earlier this year, Council and I asked residents and businesses for their input on improving parking in downtown Oakville. We listened and we’re making changes.”
The first change includes replacing all existing pay and display machines in downtown municipal lots (including Kerr Village), with more convenient and efficient pay-by-plate machines that accept credit cards. You no longer need to display a ticket on the dashboard of your car, simply enter your licence plate, pay and go.
“Pay-by-plate machines are very convenient,” said Dan Cozzi, director of Engineering and Construction for the town. “For right now, these new machines will only be in the municipal lots, but in the spring, we will be converting all on-street machines to these pay-by-plate as well.”
Cozzi added that you just need to make sure you know your licence plate number to use the machine. His trick is to take a photo of your plate with your smart phone.
The second change extends the on-street parking time to three hours from its current two-hour limit starting September 9. All on-street parking spaces, including metered spaces, will be updated by the end of September. The extended three-hour parking will allow visitors to stay a little longer. All machines on the streets and in the lots will accept credit cards and coins. The cost to park on the street in downtown Oakville is now $2 per hour except along Water Street which remains at $1 per hour, and parking lots remain at $1.50 an hour.
In early 2015 the town will be making additional parking changes downtown that include improving parking and directional signage to make it easier to find parking locations, and introducing 20-minute quick stop parking spaces throughout downtown.
A detailed map of on-street parking areas, municipal lots and information on how to use the new pay-by-plate machines are available on the Municipal Parking Lots and Garages page.