CURBSIDE ACCESSIBLE PARKING PROJECT
Challenge Statement As part of the original implementation plan of APEP in spring 2018, a decision was made by the project team to terminate the Gratuity Program, due to the inability of the new technology to recognize Parking Placards displayed on dashboards or hung from rear-view mirrors. It was thought that terminating the Gratuity Program in EPark zones for Placard Holders would be a simple way to eliminate the following enforcement challenge: When Parking Placard holders use the two-hour parking gratuity, they do not pay for parking and therefore are not registering their licence plates in the EPark system. With the introduction of APEP, these vehicles would then be wrongfully ticketed as the enforcement vehicles are only able to read rear-mounted licence plates, and are unable to recognize the Parking Placard displayed at the front of the vehicle. Feedback regarding this change received from The City of Edmonton’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, and Parking Placard holders has resulted in the postponement of the launch of APEP until a new parking management policy and program can be developed that balances the requirement to launch APEP with the equitable delivery of curbside accessible parking for Parking Placard holders. To support and inform the development of a new parking management policy and program, a design research process was undertaken to: 1. Gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of provincially issued Parking Placard Holders within the current parking management system 2. Present options related to both how accessible parking can be accommodated in curbside paid EPark zones as well as in curbside designated accessible stalls. The ultimate goal of the project is to inform the creation of a modernized curbside accessible parking program that balances the effective management of curbside parking with the equitable delivery of accessible parking for Edmontonians.
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