Edmonton moving to mobile-only paid parking this spring

Emily Williams · CBC

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 8:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The City of Edmonton is phasing retired each EPark machines, the strategy utilized to wage for thoroughfare parking and astatine metropolis parkades and 1 seniors advocator is disquieted the alteration volition beryllium hard for those who don't person entree to a phone. 

Machines volition beryllium phased retired starting adjacent period and drivers volition present person to usage the HotSpot app oregon website to pay.

Cathy McLean, who worked for 18 years astatine the Scona Seniors' Centre and is present a elder herself said the determination isn't age-friendly.

"I'm horrified," McLean said. 

"Many seniors are inactive driving but they don't person a cellphone, oregon computer, and aren't blessed astir needing to usage exertion successful immoderate mode signifier oregon form. So it's truly going to beryllium a occupation for them successful uncovering capable parking."

Jenny Albers, wide supervisor of readying and permitting with the City of Edmonton said that a phased attack is being taken, starting with the machines with the lowest usage.

• Between April 14 and May 31, machines volition beryllium removed astatine North Edge, Alberta Avenue, Kingsway, Stony Plain, 124th Street and Old Strathcona.

• Then from May 15 to July 31, they volition beryllium removed from downtown, including zones adjacent Rogers Place and parkades astatine metropolis hall, the Stanley A. Milner room and Canada Place.

Albers said that for those who don't person information oregon a smartphone, they tin wage done a telephone call. 

But there's a catch: you indispensable person an existing relationship due to the fact that the institution volition not judge recognition paper accusation implicit the phone. New users tin make an relationship online earlier leaving home, past telephone HotSpot to archer them the portion they are parked successful and the duration they'll beryllium parked for.

If you don't person a telephone oregon near it astatine home? You're retired of luck.

"We person different parking connected the thoroughfare — whether it's unfastened escaped parking, time-restricted parking, oregon if there's truly nary different enactment to beryllium going to backstage parking options," Albers said.

"We bash cognize it's a spot of a modulation for folks."

The machines were owed for replacement due to the fact that the metropolis declaration with the vendor was ending this year, and the exertion was not compliant with outgo standards, Albers said. They lone judge magnetic stripe recognition cards, not the spot and pin benignant that is becoming much commonplace.

When the metropolis ran the numbers connected the outgo of replacing outdated public parking machines, it recovered the $2.8 cardinal dollar terms tag was conscionable excessively high.

Because of these factors and the outgo of replacement, metropolis assembly decided successful the autumn 2024 fund process to discontinue them.

McLean said she worked good past the emblematic status age, which kept her up to day with technology. But moving with seniors, she's seen firsthand what interaction a alteration similar this volition have.

"I cognize tons of radical person phones close now, but what if they don't person the wealth to bargain one? What if it's a elder who's frightened to decease of exertion and conscionable avoids it similar the plague?"

She said erstwhile confronted with a motion telling them to download an app, immoderate radical mightiness conscionable crook astir and spell home.

"I don't cognize however they would marque that enactment for everyone."

One different alteration drivers volition spot successful the coming months, is that two-hour parking limits person been removed from EPark zones connected evenings and weekends. That alteration comes into effect July 1.