'CORE' parking code ends, council to hear pitch for its return to downtown and Old East Village

Merchants in London’s core area business districts are urging city council to restore a popular free-parking program.

Since 2021, typing the ‘CORE’ promo code into the Honk Mobile App provided up to two hours of free parking as an economic recovery tool to help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Municipal funding expired March 31.

On Tuesday, city council will consider letters from Downtown London, the Old East Village (OEV) BIA, and several merchants calling for a continuation of the free parking program because of the persistent challenges facing businesses in the core-area commercial districts.

Downtown London’s Executive Director Barb Maly writes, “As London continues to have one of the country’s largest downtown commercial vacancy rates, this is not the time to remove the CORE Honk App discount program.”

“The ability to visit and browse OEV’s commercial district for up to two hours free is incredibly beneficial for businesses, property owners, and community members,” states a letter by Kevin Morrison, general manager of the Old East Village BIA.

Two weeks ago, a motion by Coun. Susan Stevenson to continue the CORE code for three months at a pair of lots in OEV was not supported by the Community and Protective Services Committee.

However, one of those councillors has since changed their mind.

Downtown Coun. David Ferreira has prepared a motion for this week’s council meeting that requests a scaled down version of the CORE code.

 

Specifically, he proposes the promo code only apply to

• all on-street parking meters in the core
• two lots in the Old East Village (Municipal Lot #1, Municipal Lot #2)
• two lots near Richmond and Oxford (Municipal Lot #3E, Municipal Lot #3W)
• the large lot at Horton and Ridout (Municipal Lot #12)

“The most important aspect of that would be the on-street parking component because I would like to have a direct line of access for people visiting merchants in the core,” Ferreira told CTV News.

Barely a month after council approved the 2024-2027 municipal budget, there is no source of funding to offset the lost revenue if Ferreira’s motion is supported.

“We’re going to have to work to find a compromise on council,” he explained. “It might even need a report back from staff to hopefully bring [options] back to council with a source of funding.”

Coun. Skylar Franke warns against another free parking promotion funded by city hall.

“I don’t call it ‘free parking’ because somebody pays for it in the end,” Franke explained. “Right now it’s London taxpayers.”

She’s already told leadership at the BIAs that if they believe free parking is worth it, then they can use recent economic recovery grants to pay for it.

“We gave half-a-million dollars to the Old East Village BIA at the end of last year, and just over a million to Downtown London. I said [to the BIAs] if it’s a priority to them, then I’d encourage them to use the money that the city already gave them.”

Cars parked at meters in downtown London on April 1, 2024. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)Ferreira points to data from the upcoming Mobility Master Plan that in 2019 about 77 per cent of trips inside London were by car.

He says until Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and additional cycling infrastructure is completed, most customers will either to drive to core area businesses or go to commercial plazas that provide free parking.

“Most people use personal vehicles to get around,” he explained. “I would like to see that change as much as possible, but in the meantime, that’s why I’m bringing forward this motion.”

Franke believes it’s policies like free parking that contribute to Londoners transportation choices.

“By providing taxpayer subsidized parking, that is social engineering,” she asserted. “You are encouraging people to drive because it’s the most convenient and easy option.”

Franke added that she would support public dollars to incentivize transit ridership and active transportation to get more people to visit core business districts.

Ferreira will bring his motion forward during the council meeting on April 2.