Pay for Parking and Get 90 Bonus Minutes in Downtown Burlington Starting Dec. 1
*NOTE: For a full run-down of what Council approved at its Nov. 23 meeting, please read the minutes: Post-Meeting Minutes – Regular Meeting of Council_Nov23_2020)**Please see below a media release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Nov. 27, 2020 — Residents parking in a municipal lot or street parking spot in downtown Burlington will get an extra 90 minutes of parking added to the time they pay for parking. Burlington City Council approved this initiative as a Pilot Project to temporarily amend Parking By-law 39-2016, effective Dec. 1, 2020. The program will run until April 20, 2021.This initiative is supported by the Burlington Downtown Business Association to encourage residents to visit retailers in Downtown Burlington and support small businesses during these unprecedented times.How to get the bonus 90 minutes of parking:
- Park in an on-street spot or in any municipal parking lot
- Pay for parking at machine or using HonkMobile app. The minimum payment is $0.25.
- An additional 90 bonus minutes will be added to the time you pay for
- If your time expires, including the additional 90 bonus minutes and you wish to stay longer to shop or eat, you can extend your time by paying for more parking using HonkMobile app, credit, or inserting more money into the machine, up to three hours on street and all day in lots.
"The Burlington Downtown Business Association and its small business community membership welcome this pilot program featuring the waiving of fees downtown for 90 minutes. We support opportunities designed to give our downtown merchants and restaurateurs a competitive edge during these uncertain economic times. Our fervent belief is that this fundamental change to parking operations until April 2021 will re-inspire consumer confidence in our small businesses. We encourage our patrons to use this opportunity to make multiple purchases throughout the Downtown with the knowledge that we’ve added ninety minutes of bonus time to your small purchase of parking. Our doors are open, there has never been a better time to shop local and our Downtown entrepreneurs want to remain your first choice for unique goods and services into the New Year." -- Brian Dean, Executive Director, Burlington Downtown Business Association"Burlington’s downtown provides visitors with access to our vibrant downtown shopping and dining experiences. The effects of COVID-19 have been demonstrably significant to small local businesses. Many studies highlight the contributions of small businesses to the our local, provincial and national economy, so we need to do what we can to support our downtown and the most pressing challenges that small business owners face." -- Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns, City of Burlington
PAY PARKING OPTIONS1. HonkMobileResidents and visitors can use the HonkMobile app to search, pay for, and top-up parking payments directly from their smartphone, tablet or computer.The HonkMobile app can be downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play store using any internet connected device. Users are required to sign up for an account and pay a transaction fee of $0.35 for each payment.Users can request a notification from the app for when their time is about to expire.2. Updated Parking Machines – Pay-By-PlateThe pay-by-plate machines offer users a variety of advantages, including the ability to:
- Pay by coin ($2, $1, $0.25), credit or online;
- Park at various locations throughout the downtown when there is remaining paid time on a ticket;
- Add time to parking purchases remotely using the HonkMobile app ($0.35 transaction fee applies);
- Choose the option of a printed receipt. Every payment is linked with a license plate number - dashboard tickets are not required;
- Renew monthly parking permits in-person or by phone at 905-335-7600.
Parking in downtown Burlington is free weekdays after 6 p.m., weekends and holidays with the exception of the Waterfront parking lots at Spencer Smith Park.For more information about parking downtown, visit burlington.ca/parking.MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:Businesses have asked for some relief beginning with the December holiday shopping season, especially since the removal of December Free P. Implementing a program with 90 minutes free will assist. By extending the program until April 2021, we’ll be able to get appropriate data and public input to evaluate the success of the program and make any changes at that time.Links and Resources:
--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist