$6 per hour fee is too steep, council told
A pilot parking system proposed for Norfolk County’s beachfront communities will drive away tourists and cost businesses customers, according to opponents.
“We think that $6 an hour for parking is just too much money for families who want to go to the beach,” said real estate broker Ray Ferris, who also owns Old Cut Boat Livery Marina in Long Point.
“Right now, consumers are having to decided whether to put gas in their car or food on their tables.”
Ferris said if families must pay up to $48 in parking to spend a day at the beach, they will be less likely to stop at local restaurants and might opt to go somewhere else in Ontario.
He and several other Long Point businesses put their concerns in a letter to Norfolk Mayor Kristal Chopp, who voted against the pilot project, and county council. He also started an online petition on Change.org, which now has more than 700 signatures.
Both the letter and petition ask council to reconsider the parking fees, which would be in place in Port Dover, Long Point and Turkey Point. They want hourly fees reduced to $3 from the planned $6, with maximum daily fee of $20, which was recommended by county staff.
The metered parking project was approved to run from June 15 to Sept. 15 and is to include increased weekend enforcement.
Ferris urged council to recognize the differences between the lakefront communities.
Port Dover has a bustling downtown where some beach-goers park for the day, blocking spots that could be used by customers, he said. Long Point doesn’t have that kind of business district but does have a nearby provincial park where the entry fee of $12.25 is likely to create a high demand to get into the park with a day pass.
“That’s going to create lines and huge congestion at the park and people will try to park illegally to avoid paying. It creates a whole other can of worms,” said Ferris, noting that the Long Point Country Chamber of Commerce wasn’t formally consulted about the parking project.
He said that, although the plan calls for the use of a smart phone app to pay for parking, there’s little to no cellphone reception on Long Point beach.
Cindy Vandestar, who owns three Port Dover businesses, said she also had heard nothing about the plan or been consulted on it.
“We don’t need this increase, we need proper enforcement,” said Vandestar.
“Right now, we get people who go to the beach but we have a two-hour maximum and that lets them walk to the shops and go eat lunch. We just need to enforce that.”
Vandestar said there’s “no way” she’ll download a parking app for her phone and said she urged council to put off the pilot project at least until next year.
“Right now we’re all coming off COVID and they’re going to get a lot of push-back.”
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