Some Edmonton business owners say QR code parking system isn’t working

The City of Edmonton removed all physical parking metres in April of this year, and some downtown business owners say that, since then, paying for parking through QR codes and apps has been a point of contention for their customers.

“Parking’s been crazy around here. A lot of people are coming in asking how to use the parking, how long it lasts, it’s constantly changing. They don’t know about the codes. They’re constantly getting ticketed. It’s always full around here, but people get ticketed a lot,” said Wendy Lien, the owner of Maison de Noir.

On 124 Street, Lando Gallery co-owner Brent Luebke says that the old system used to be directly in front of his shop. Now, he watches people get out of their vehicles and search for the small sign with a QR code, and he often comes out of the store to assist.

“You’re not going to not help the people, especially when you quickly realize they’re tourists or just new people to the area who don’t know. And they’re frustrated,” said Luebke.

The new ePark system moved parking payment to mobile only; you can no longer use cash or swipe a credit card. Additionally, the app appears to only use English, creating a language barrier in some cases. For Lien, her own father can not drive to visit her store.

“What about the people that don’t have a phone? My dad doesn’t have a phone. And it’s frustrating, because where’s he going to pay for parking? It’s making life difficult,” said Lien.

Luebke says they have tried to raise concerns with their city councillor.

“Some residents, log in, pay for a parking session at home, recognizing that the first 15 minutes are free anyway, and then they actually drive to the location and then park there. There’s also an option for businesses, if they want to register their customers license plate and then add that to any bill at the end, there’s also that option for businesses,” said Anne Stevenson, the councillor for Ward O-day’min.

Luebke says, “We got back to her, after laughing for a bit and stopped rolling on the floor, and said, ‘Well, that’s great, Anne, but first of all, they’re not necessarily our clients. It’s not a matter of paying for the parking, it’s a matter of somebody not knowing what to do and not wanting to get a ticket.’”

To add to the struggle, construction for the Valley Line LRT is just a block down the road. Owners of both Maison de Noir and Lando Gallery say that with the ongoing construction, parking in front of their business is at a premium, and they wish the city would just make it easier, instead of having to search for a QR code that leads to what they say is a complicated app.

“I’ve traveled the world, I’ve been to a lot of places. I can tap my phone on a box to pay for parking. I don’t have to do anything. Go to Budapest, London, you name it. I just used it a few months ago, works great. Why, here, we have to have this complicated system?” asked Luebke.

Councillor Stevenson says the decision to move to the ePark app was budgetary — upgrades to meet credit card technology would have cost the city $6 million.

“We have seen some of the mountain communities shift in this direction, and they have very high volumes of tourists coming through. My understanding is that they hae retained a few meters in central locations in the city, but most free parking, again, it’s sort of through the app or online,” said Stevenson.

Luebke says, “With the comparison to the city of Banff, 8,000 people versus a million.”

For the business owners on 124 Street, the solution is simple: get rid of the parking app altogether.

“Give us a break. It’s tough enough in this economy already; we need people to come to downtown Edmonton and be shopping and supporting our small businesses,” said Lien.