HALIFAX -- Parking in downtown Halifax and Dartmouth will look a lot different as of Tuesday.
People looking for a parking spot will notice there are no more meters to drop your change in.
“Drivers won’t look for a meter anymore. They will look for posted signage,” said Victoria Horne, manager of parking for the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The new signs indicate parking zones, and drivers will then either need to find the nearest pay station, or use the HotSpot app.
“You can download the HotSpot app and then enter your licence plate into your phone,” explained Horne.
Horne says there is a third-party fee for those who use the HotSpot app. The fees are $20 for a year, $2 for a month, or 10 cents per transaction.
The maximum time allowed in any one parking zone will be four hours -- an increase from parking meters, which had limits of 60 or 90 minutes.
Parking rates could be as high as $16 for four hours in some zones.
Horne says for those who are looking to park for a full day, using a parking zone may not be the best fit.
“If you work somewhere for eight hours, and you need parking, we encourage you to find parking off street or use transit or another mode of transportation to come downtown,” said Horne.
These parking changes are the result of a directive from Halifax Regional Council, which has been in the planning stages for almost 10 years.
