Angle parking in Exchange to be permanent, expanded
ANGLED parking, once the domain of towns with one street light, is making a comeback in Winnipeg.
An administrative report to next week’s public works committee meeting recommends backed-in, angle parking on one side of Bannatyne Avenue in the Exchange District be made permanent, and that angle parking be expanded to nearby streets.
“The new back-in, angled parking on Bannatyne is a better fit for residents, businesses, and visitors alike, and we would like to thank the businesses and residents of the Exchange District for their patience, participation and feedback as this recent pilot helped us to improve parking in the area,” Coun. Mike Pagtakhan said.
Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said the return to angled parking creates more onstreet parking spaces, which is important as the popularity of the Exchange District as a shopping, dining and entertainment destination continues to grow.
City hall has been testing back-in, angled parking on the south side of Bannatyne Avenue from Rorie Street to Waterfront Drive since July 2017. Changing the parallel parking stalls to back-in, angled parking, meant 10 additional cars could park in that section of Bannatyne.
To facilitate the change, that stretch of Bannatyne was converted into a oneway street.
An administrative report to the Feb. 27 meeting states public reaction to the new/old-style parking has been generally positive, with little effect on street traffic.
The public works department is recommending Mc Dermot Avenue from Waterfront Drive to Rorie Street be converted into a one-way eastbound street with back-in, angled parking this year.
The report states this would add nine parking spaces.
The department is considering expanding the back-in, angled parking to other Exchange District streets, the report states, to compensate for the loss of on-street parking that resulted from the construction of protected bicycle lanes along Mc Dermot and Bannatyne avenues during 2017.
With the construction of protected bike lanes along Mc Dermot and Bannatyne avenues this summer as part of the West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor project, and other bike lane projects in the vicinity, the public service is also looking at adding back-in, angled parking in a number of other locations throughout the Exchange to offset some loss of parking spots due to these projects.