Survey shows many in Whitehorse unhappy with downtown parking

More than 1,000 people responded to aCity of Whitehorsesurvey about downtown parking, and the results are clear respondentsthink it needs improving.

The online survey was open for four weeks in August of last year. The city received 1,062 completed surveys from the public.

"About half of people found downtown parking in poor or very poor conditions right now," said Ben Campbell, a planner with the city.

The results of the survey will be used by planners like Campbell to try to make downtown parking more efficient. Campbell said the survey gave him "many important takeaways" to use to upgrade the city's Downtown Parking Management Plan, which came out in 2011.

• 6 ways Whitehorse may try to improve city transit
• New parking meters designed to keep Whitehorse cars moving

Many of those who responded said there simply aren't enough parking spaces downtown.

"For example," said Campbell, "Main Street was cited as an area of concern [for] people who have trouble finding parking there."

Seventy per cent of the responders indicated theytravel downtown forworkfive days a week.

Trish Van De Mortel is one such person.She says herstrategy is to get to work early, and find a spot close to the office where she doesn't have to pay.

She's not alone in seeking out the free spots. Paying for parkingis a sourceof contention for many people.

Dan Morin believes itshould be free. He lives in Teslin and, like Van De Mortel, strategically gets in and out of Whitehorse early in his case before noon to avoid parking hassles.

"Every two weeks we come into town," said Morin. "Sometimes I got quarters, sometimes I don't, sofree would be good. Ormaybe [debit cards]maybe you could tap and walk by ... Just throwing ideas out there."

According to the survey results, he's not the only one who's thought of that. Campbell said as a result, the city is considering whether toacceptparking meterpayments through an app.

Some people eschew parking downtown altogether. Sarah Waters is one such person she walks everywhere. She only drives when she's leaving the downtown core.

Walking, I find, is a lot faster to get anywhere downtown.- Sarah Waters, Whitehorse resident

"Walking, I find, is a lot faster to get anywhere downtown," she said.

Waters thinks the city could set up parkades in empty lots downtown. She thinks it would provide much-needed spots, and would be a good way for the city to make money.

"There is space down here," she said.

But Campbell said the city isn't planning to build a parkade due to costs.

The city is also focusing on making other modes of transportation more realistic for people, Campbell said. He cites plans to build more bike lanes, improvethe transit schedule, and putin more sidewalks and crossing lanes to make it safer for pedestrians.

City planners are now using survey results to update the Downtown Parking Management Plan. The revised plan is expected to be complete this coming spring.