Halifax’s Argyle streetscape project is finally complete, but parking problems persist, congesting the supposedly pedestrian-friendly street.

Business owner Philip Holmans says large delivery trucks often line Argyle Street and park for longer than they should, making it difficult for both pedestrians and other vehicles to navigate the street.

The city says a vehicle can only park in a loading zone for 30 minutes and there are enforcement officers monitoring the street. But Holmans says he hasn’t seen much enforcement.

“I’m here almost seven days a week for 10 hours a day, and I don’t really see tow trucks down here pulling away vehicles that have been illegally parked for several hours,” says Holmans, who owns World Tea House.

“We have customers complaining that they can’t get down our street during the week when delivery trucks are blocking traffic.”

People who frequent the downtown are noticing as well. One Twitter user posted a photo of trucks crowding the restaurant-dotted street with a suggestion that perhaps they shouldn’t make deliveries during the noon hour.

The Downtown Halifax Business Commission says it is aware of the parking problem, but it points out the street only opened in November, and kinks are still being ironed out.

“This really is the summer, I think, where we try to figure out how this all works,” says Paul MacKinnon, executive director of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.

“There’s a number of different options. One is just to leave the street as it is, of course. Another option is to actually have loading times on the street, so maybe have loading happen early in the morning before it gets busier.”

Holmans says his business is finally busy after five years of coping with construction in the downtown area, and he just wants to see some enforcement of loading-zone rules to ensure everyone can safely share the street.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Laura Brown