Vernon residents will soon be feeling the pinch of increased parking fees from April 1. Rates per hour in city surface lots and the downtown parkade are set to increase to 75 cents, $5 a day, and $65 a month. On-street metered parking will remain at $1 per hour without any change. This adjustment is due to an increased demand for covered parking spaces in the parkade area, so monthly passes for the entire parkade will be charged at the same rate.
Additionally, boat launch passes at Paddlewheel and Kalavista launches have also been affected by an increase in rates; they now stand at $10 per day, or $60 for seasonal passes which are valid across both sites. This marks the first time that either parking or boat launch fees have been changed since 2013 (for parking) and 2011 (for boats). Monthly pass holders who have already purchased passes for April and beyond won’t be affected by these changes.
The City of Vernon has stated this decision was taken with careful consideration as to not cause too much disruption or financial hardship to people who already paid their fees prior to this announcement. However, this new regulation could prove difficult for those who commute regularly into town as they may need to reconsider their budgeting accordingly in order to accommodate the extra costs; this also applies especially for youths who want to pay with cash rather than cards for on-street metered parking.
The City of Vernon has recommended commuters look into alternative transportation methods such as bikes if available – through Vernon’s bike rental program – or shared electric scooters when possible, as well as maximize their visits when going downtown from remote areas by grouping errands together whenever possible.
Ultimately, it’s important that residents of Vernon take these new regulations into account when planning their trips downtown in order to avoid financial shock should they not have planned ahead or expected future hikes in costs. The City of Vernon remains dedicated however to providing affordable services while still recouping some of its losses due its expenses in running such operations smoothly.
