Residents have the next two weeks to formally provide their ideas to improve parking and transportation in Penticton.
Beginning June 14, the development services department is conducting a city-wide survey to gather data and feedback about resident transportation and parking habits and preferences with a focus on downtown and surrounding areas.
“With exciting levels of development and activity in the city, the community is seeing more pressure on parking especially downtown and in adjacent residential areas,” said Anthony Haddad, director of development services. “We’re gathering feedback over the next few weeks to hear what the community’s ideas are to improve our parking and transportation systems.”
The survey also provides participants with the opportunity to comment on parking and transportation in other parts of the city and tests opinions on topics such as how to encourage alternate forms of transportation, how to address parking shortfalls in the future, as well as whether or not user pay parking should be expanded to Lakeshore Drive and Riverside Drive. Information gathered in the survey will be used to improve current parking and transportation programs and provide data for the Official Community Plan Task Force to help shape the future of parking and transportation in the city.
The survey is available online at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca/parking. Citizens are asked to take a few extra steps to register on the site in order to complete the survey. Registration allows the city to confirm the participant is a resident and that the survey is only completed once. Residents can also pick up paper copies of the survey at city hall, the community centre and the library. Completed surveys can be dropped off at city hall. The survey closes June 30 and results will be shared at a future council meeting.
The survey is one of a few engagement activities that will gather community feedback about parking and transportation in the city. Citizens will also have the opportunity to speak to staff in person at a series of events including June 14 at the Okanagan lakeshore in the morning and downtown in the afternoon (look for staff in green shirts). On June 22 staff will be at the library from 5 to 8 p.m. and on June 24 at the community market at the City of Penticton booth between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.