Parking meter and leased parking stall rates in downtown Cranbrook will officially be updated starting May 1, 2026, as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to modernize downtown parking and support long-term infrastructure improvements.

Council adopted changes to the Streets, Traffic and Parking bylaw on Monday, which looks to increase parking meter and leased parking stall rates based on recommendations from the Downtown Parking Plan and Strategy completed earlier this year.

The updates are part of the short-term recommendations from the City’s Downtown Parking Plan, which aims to:

• Keep Cranbrook’s parking rates competitive, well below the national average of $2 per hour.
• Increase funding for the Downtown Parking Reserve Fund, which supports upgrades like paving, lighting, landscaping, signage, and other downtown revitalization initiatives.
• Reduce reliance on general tax dollars by ensuring parking operations are more self-sustaining.
• Encourage alternative transportation, helping reduce traffic congestion and emissions.

Updating each parking meter is a hands-on job, so the work will take some time. A proposed start date of May 1, 2026 gives us the good weather we need to complete the updates and make sure all leased parking stall agreements are brought up to date.

As these changes roll out, there may be a short period when some meters still show the old rates while others have the new ones in place. We continue to look ahead at modernizing downtown parking, including possible options like digital mobile payments.

For now, the fee changes will still bring value to the community, especially since monthly leases and coin-operated meters are expected to stay in place in some areas for the foreseeable future.

e-KNOW file photo

City of Cranbrook

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