City officials are working towards a solution to Windsor's parking woes.
The city's planning committee is examining the issue tonight.
Chair of the committee, Bill Marra, says they've been looking at ways to improve off-street parking for some time now. Everything from transit improvements to adding bike racks is being explored to stop the expansion of parking into usable commercial space, according to Marra.
"Anybody who's from Windsor is familiar with the fact that off street parking has been a challenge," says Marra. "So what's happened over the last number of years, the ones that come to mind for me are Erie St. for example and Ottawa St. where there are buildings and houses being purchased and off-street parking is being built. That's not always necessarily the best approach."
Marra says valuable land is being used for the wrong purpose.
"The economy is continuing to improve. The BIA's are flourishing, they're getting greater and greater investments and there's a greater demand for commercial buildings. They should be put to use for commercial purposes, not for off-street parking," says Marra.
He says the committee has looked for inspiration in other cities who have successfully dealt with parking issues.
"We're looking at about five or six other Ontario city's to see how they've addressed the issue of off-street parking to better accommodate the needs of the business improvement associations," he says.
Marra plans to introduce transit options at the meeting in an effort to lesson the amount of cars where parking is at a premium.