FAQs

Easy-to-read parking signage can reduce the number of people circling a block looking for parking, which can reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, finding a parking spot easily can improve access to commercial destinations, resulting in increased sales for local businesses.

The committee found that:

1. Regulatory signs in the Exchange District are too complicated and can be a source of confusion for drivers, especially in instances where multiple prohibitions are in effect at different times of the day or on different days of the week. 
2. Cities such as New York and Los Angeles have been successful in taking a proactive approach to designing street signage that is easier to understand and that principles of their design approach can be adapted for use in Winnipeg.
3. The best way to provide clarity for parkers is to offer simple and easily readable signs that can be seen by drivers searching for a parking space, supplemented by more detailed guides that can be reviewed once a driver has exited the vehicle.

The parking guides are meant to complement the regulatory signs. To make the most efficient use of parking spaces, particularly in high-density areas with significant demand for parking, a single parking space may have different rules in place throughout specific hours of the day or days of the week. 

When there are multiple rules in place, no matter how clear the regulatory signs are, this type of situation might still be confusing to drivers. This is where the parking guide can help clarify if the driver has parked correctly and whether payment is required after they have exited their vehicle. 

The pilot is proposed for three street segments in the Exchange District:

1. Bannatyne Avenue between Waterfront Drive and Main Street
2. King Street between Notre Dame Avenue and William Avenue
3. Arthur Street Between Bannatyne Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue

Locations were selected based on consultation conducted by the Exchange District BIZ with local businesses in the area who identified which streets could benefit most from improved signage.

Implementation of the pilot project has a total estimated cost of $45,415.

The City designed the parking guides based on feedback from the parking signage committee and similar designs used in other North American cities. The parking guides were revised based on the feedback received in the summer of 2021. 

Pilot regulatory signs were designed using principles that have been successful in other cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. They have been adapted to align with typical Canadian street signage that uses more visual symbols compared to U.S. counterparts.

A successful pilot will depend on the feedback received and the data collected during the pilot. 

If either phase of the pilot is deemed to be a success, the City will prepare a business case to assess the cost/benefit of proceeding with recommendations on a broader implementation throughout the city. 

Any future deployment of the parking guides or newly designed regulatory signs will be communicated clearly prior to their implementation.

It may take some time for drivers to become fully accustomed to recognizing the new sign designs, therefore there will be relaxed enforcement for Phase 2 of the pilot. The first time a vehicle in the pilot area is found to be in contravention of any applicable parking regulation, the registered owner will receive a one-time warning and a Park Smart pamphlet with information on the pilot project. After a one-time warning ticket has been issued for any parking offence in the pilot area, subsequent violations will be enforced as normal.