Big changes to parking in and around downtown Windsor have the city offering advice to drivers.
The city has been repainting and adjusting the parking spaces in and around the core to create more on-street parking spaces, which includes the addition of angled on-street parking where roadway widths permit.
Manager of Transportation Operations Bill Kralovensky says the angled parking spaces are great.
“These start at Caron Avenue and go all the way to Goyeau for both Pitt Street and Chatham Street. What we did is we took roughly 100 parking spaces that were parallel to the curb, and now we’ve made them angled. For every 10 spaces, we get around three more out of it,” he says.
As part of the transition to angled parking, the city is encouraging drivers to remember safe backing procedures when exiting parking spaces.
Safe Backing Tips for Angled Parking:
- Scan your surroundings before reversing.
- Use backup lights to signal your intent to other drivers.
- Look over your shoulder through rear windows, and do not rely solely on cameras or mirrors.
- Reverse slowly with the steering wheel straight until sufficient clearance is established.
- Ensure adjacent vehicles have been cleared before beginning a turn.
- Complete the maneuver carefully while monitoring all surrounding traffic and pedestrians.
- Drivers in the areas where angled parking is offered are encouraged to slow down and be aware of vehicles backing out of the parking spaces.
Kralovensky says the angled parking has already started slowing traffic down on Pitt Street and Chatham Street, which has one-way sections, in a good way.
“As you get used to it, please, please, if you’re driving through this area, take your time. Slow down. There are going to be people backing out, yes. If you’re backing out of this spot, back out slowly. Before you get into your vehicle, take a look around. Look at the situation,” he says.
While the new parking spaces are in place, some of the new parking meters still need to be added. If you pull into a spot without a meter, there will be a sign indicating what parking zone it is, and drivers need to input that information into the City of Windsor’s parking app to pay.
In January, city council approved a parking optimization plan, a move that will create 249 new spaces downtown, up to 864 from the current 615.