Medicine Hat's Towne Square will soon be the second HotSpot digital parking site in the city. Medicine Hat College was the first.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
A new digital parking pilot project which reintroduces paid parking hours to the Towne Square lot, will modernize and simplify parking in the core, city officials say – but only for smartphone users.
Beginning July 4, Hatters will be required to pay when parking at Towne Square, located on the corner of First and Sixth streets downtown. All payments will be made digitally with HotSpot, a parking and transit app.
Available on both Android and iPhone, the app offers users a choice of yearly and monthly subscriptions, or pay-per-use service at $1 per hour or $5 per day, plus service fees. As well, users are eligible to receive a refund for unused time.
“We are excited to be able to bring digital parking to the downtown, knowing it’s a great option for customers to use,” Aaron Nelson, city cultural experiences and events manager, said. “Many communities are beginning to transition to digital because of how easy it is for the end user … Having this parking app is part of a user-friendly approach while we pave the way to make paying for parking as simple as possible.”
While smartphone users without the app may still access the lot by scanning a QR code, then paying online via credit card, individuals without a smartphone are no longer able to park in the lot during paid parking hours – an issue the city is aware of.
“We’re doing this with the full knowledge not everybody has access to a smartphone, which is why (HotSpot) is only in the Towne Square right now,” Nelson told the News when asked about accessibility concerns. “There is two-hour free parking located 40 metres away on Second Street SE. So, that is still an option for our community.”
Nelson says the city will assess the pilot project each month to gather data on whether HotSpot, and digital paid parking in general, is a viable option for Medicine Hat.
“We’re prototyping this type of system right now (but) that does not preclude any different types of system in the future,” said Nelson. “I think the overall goal is to provide efficient and effective public service, so to make parking easier for our community, if possible.”
Nelson confirmed an end date for the pilot project has not yet been set.
Paid parking hours will only be in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Towne Square parking remains free at all other times.
City staff will be at the Towne Square during paid parking hours, from June 4-8, to assist Hatters in downloading and using the app.
