Calgary Parking Authority freezes rates for 2016 in response to economic downturn

The Calgary Parking Authority won't increase rates in 2016.

CPA general managerMikeDerbyshireannounced the decision Tuesday, describing it as a response to the city's economic downturn.

Thatmove brushes asideapolicy implemented just two years agothat calls forparking prices toto be raised andlowered, block by block, based on demand.

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"To help provide some relief to our customers during these difficult financial times, we've temporarily amended the rate policy we useto provide us with the flexibility to freeze both on-and off-street rates and in some cases even decrease rates,"Derbyshiresaid in a release.

Adopted in 2014, the demand-based pricing policy would normally see on-street parking rates increase by 25 cents an hour in zones that saw occupancy of 80 per cent or greater the year before, anddecrease by the same amountin zones with less than 50 per cent.

The amended policy will still allow for rates to go down in low-occupancy zones, but not up in high-occupancy zones.

For some Calgarians, a freeze doesn't go far enough.

"It seems in a time of difficulty like Alberta and Calgary find themselves now, we should try to give more breaks to our citizens. That means lowering the parking rates right across the city," said Frank Oliva.

"It just makes good business sense to do that. Come on city hall, get on the wagon and lower those rates."

Occupancy data is collected and calculated automatically by the CPA's proprietaryParkPlussystem.

At CPA parkades and off-street surface lots, rates won't rise either, but could fall. Those ratesare typically set at 15 to 20 per cent below the market rate at comparable, privately operated lots like Impark.

The rate freezes do not apply to the parking lots at TelusSpark and the Calgary Zoo, which areprivately owned and merely managed by the parking authority.