The City of Nanaimo is establishing pay parking on the streets around Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
The move is in response to growing street parking challenges faced by residents, hospital visitors and businesses in the area, according to a City of Nanaimo press release.
Prior to the pandemic, the hospital area parking strategy laid out an approach to help deal with parking demand on the surrounding streets. With parking patterns returning to normal, it is timely to roll out on-street pay parking, the release noted.
Parking rates will be the same as downtown at $1.25 per hour. Parking payment service will be activated April 1 with full enforcement starting April 8, and pay parking will be in effect Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking will be free on weekends and evenings.
Parking will be by licence plate number and the payment system will accept all major credit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Visa debit. Drivers can pay for parking by scanning QR code signs with their smartphone or by downloading the HotSpot Parking app.
Signs will be put up in affected areas to help the transition to the new parking system and there will be traditional parking payment kiosks on Boundary Avenue and Dufferin Crescent.
Parking fee revenue will be used to maintain, enforce and repair current parking infrastructure, including meter upkeep and operation, and also supports parking-related projects, such as development, replacement or refurbishment of city assets related to parking infrastructure, the release noted.
READ ALSO: Pay parking in the works for Nanaimo’s hospital district