TAMRMS#: B06
14.2
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On-Street Parking Pilot
Notice given by: Councillor Patrick
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PROPOSED MOTION(S):
recommendation
That Administration be directed to implement a timed on-street parking pilot along St. Anne Street, operating within the existing roadway cross section, as follows:
1. Maintain four travel lanes during weekday peak periods (AM and PM peak hours) to support traffic flow; and
2. Permit on street parking during off peak hours by operating the corridor as a two lane roadway with designated parking areas on both sides of St. Anne Street; and
3. Install required signage to clearly indicate timed parking zones, restricted periods, and other operational requirements necessary to support the pilot; and
4. Monitor enforcement impacts and operational considerations, including parking violations during restricted periods, and respond to public inquiries or complaints as part of regular enforcement practices; and
5. Report back to Council with findings and recommendations prior to the commencement of utility construction on St. Anne Street.
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ADMINISTRATION’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTENT OF THE MOTION
If approved, a pilot project will be delivered for on-street parking at applicable sites (legal sites as per the City’s Traffic Bylaw and for operational safety considerations of the roadway) through placement of signs only on St. Anne Street from the north St. Albert Place parking lot access to the intersection of St. Thomas Street. This parking will be applied and allowed during specific non-peak hours only and the pilot project will be measured based upon operational impacts of the corridor and resource implications of enforcement, which will be reported back to Council with a formal recommendation from Administration in approximately one year’s time (in Q2 2027).
ADMINISTRATION’S RECOMMENDATION
Administration is supportive of this Council motion, with information shared in the Background and Discussion. It is recommended that funding of $5,000 be approved from the Stabilization Reserve to deliver this pilot project.
The following motion could be added to Clr. Patrick’s proposed motion in order to approve associated funding:
That up to $5,000 be approved from the Stabilization Reserve to support the On-Street Pilot Parking Project on St. Anne Street.
PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present a motion for which Councillor Patrick gave notice on March 23, 2026.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Downtown parking has long been a point of discussion within St. Albert, where stakeholders and visitors may perceive less-than-adequate parking supply and where satellite parking lots are often not fully utilized. These concerns are typically heightened during special events and are further exacerbated when construction activities reduce available parking capacity. The latter is expected to be particularly impactful in the upcoming construction seasons, as multiple downtown projects are planned that will affect traffic circulation, connectivity, and parking availability.
Proposed on-street parking along St. Anne Street aligns with the long-term vision of the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan (DARP). Administration is confident that, when implemented with current operational considerations, on-street parking can be accommodated with minimal impact on the level of service for travel, including delay and congestion. To further mitigate potential impacts, the recommendation for “timed on-street parking” ensures that additional parking is available during non-peak periods in proximity to key destinations such as St. Albert Place, while preserving full travel lane capacity during peak periods of vehicular demand.
Planned Parking Restrictions During the Pilot Project
1) It is recommended to maintain parking restrictions that align to the current Traffic Bylaw; such as restricting parking in proximity to intersections, access / exits, pedestrian crossings, transit stops, and fire hydrants. These restrictions align to visibility at conflict points and operational safety for road users.
2) It is recommended to restrict parking in direct proximity of the Cenotaph. Allowance to park in front of a cenotaph is generally considered disrespectful and inappropriate. The location to the immediate east of the Cenotaph site (located north of St. Albert Place on the west side of St. Anne Street), is influenced by the private commercial site access as well as the Cenotaph site itself. A small extension will be added to the planned parking restriction to capture the area in front of and immediately to the southwest of the Cenotaph site - equating to approximately a 40m zone of fully restricted parking.
3) It is recommended to restrict parking during peak period travel periods from Monday to Friday. A review of recorded traffic volumes suggests that peak hours of day for travel on St. Anne Street include:
- 9:00 am to 10:00 am
- 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
There is an afternoon “rush” around approximately 1:00 pm; however, it is believed the single-lane consideration would be acceptable during this period.
4) Roadway maintenance requirements: Public Operations is required to perform nighttime roadway maintenance - sweeping and snow clearing - to which parking restrictions would be required. To accommodate these functions for Public Operations, it is recommended that “No Parking” be implemented from:
- 11:00 pm to 7:00 am.
The above reflect zones that will be incorporated as full-time restricted parking and areas outside of these noted zones will be restricted only during the hours of:
- 9:00 am to 10:00 am
- 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
- 11:00 pm to 7:00 am
Parking Allowances During the Pilot Project
Locations outside of the noted Bylaw related restricted zone, or location in proximity to the Cenotaph will be designated as time of day permitted parking. Hours of permitted parking will include:
- Monday to Friday;
o 7:00 am to 9:00 am
o 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
o 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Due to the significant messaging for time of day allowed and time of day restricted parking on St. Anne Street, the Pilot Project parking will not be restricted for time-sensitive parking such as “2Hr” maximum parking. It is proposed to start with unrestricted time allowances within the noted periods of the day, with only restrictions occurring during the peak hours of roadway operations.
Provided Parking During the Pilot Project
Conceptual design work has been completed to identify locations where on-street parking can be implemented safely and effectively. Based on this work, it is estimated that approximately thirty-four (34) additional parking stalls could be provided, subject to vehicle types and driver parking behaviour.
As the curb lane will transition through the day from an open travel lane to allowed timed parking, the use of road markings or physical road barriers is not feasible; therefore, signage will be required to clearly communicate when parking is permitted or restricted along St. Anne Street.
Conclusion of the Pilot Project
Administration will be monitoring and recording operational impacts of implementing parking on St. Anne Street - with a focus of measurables being reports of safety concerns, general (spot-check) usage, motor vehicle incidents, and enforcement performed for parking violations. In approximately one year, in Q2 2027, Administration will report on the outcome of these areas with a recommendation to Council.
Additional key considerations with this Pilot Project include:
1) Administration will immediately respond with site changes in the event significant safety issues are identified.
2) The Pilot Project may be delivered in 2026, with field installation expected to require approximately three weeks, subject to Council approval of this motion. However, construction planning is still underway for multiple downtown projects that directly affect the St. Anne Street corridor. As a result, even if the pilot project is approved and supported for permanent consideration in 2027, it may not be applicable in 2028 or beyond. These considerations will be addressed as part of Administration’s final recommendation to Council, which will present the results of the pilot project alongside the anticipated impacts of planned construction in determining whether permanent implementation is appropriate.
IMPACTS OF MOTION
Financial:
Administration has performed a site inspection of the area and from preliminary sign layout design estimates materials and installation costs to be approximately $3,500. In anticipation that changes may be required (new signs or adjustment of layouts), it is recommended that funding of $5,000 be approved to deliver this pilot project. Funding of $5,000 is recommended to come from the Stabilization Reserve.
Compliance & Legal:
The City’s Traffic Bylaw (18-2205) captured St. Anne Street as a “restricted parking roadway” within Schedule 8; however, the schedule specifically states, “Except where permitted by a Traffic Control Device, Parking/Stopping is prohibited on the following Roadways:” and then lists restricted roadways to which St. Anne is one. This means the pilot project is in compliance with the Traffic Bylaw as it stands, subject to the installation of signage showing where allowed timed on-street parking is permitted. Enforcement of parking allowances and restrictions will occur as per the City’s Traffic Bylaw.
Program or Service:
It is not anticipated that this pilot project will substantially impact municipal departments or services.
- Engineering Transportation will continue to monitor collision occurrences along the corridor (performed with monthly network screening) and will also receive and respond to calls from residents, businesses, or visitors to the downtown who may report concerns with operational impacts from the on-street parking.
o As a comparator, since 2017 there have been a total of six (6) motor vehicle collisions along this section of roadway. The annual historic trend will be used as a “base” point for assessment of safety impacts of changes.
- Municipal Enforcement officers may patrol the area under typical service levels and will respond to reports of concern as required.
Any special event that requires the roadway closure of St. Anne Street will result in the loss of parking on St. Anne Street. Events such as the Children’s Festival, Rainmaker Rodeo Parade, promenade music events, and others may result in the closure of the parking lane or full roadway and thus loss of benefit of on-street parking during these periods.
Organizational:
None at this time.
Risks
1. On-street parking may present an operational risk that is typical and experienced on any roadway with on-street parking, as occurs within other roadways downtown. This risk is associated with the conflict between vehicles travelling the roadway and those drivers that may be attempting to parallel park or exit from a parking stall. Although the onus is largely on drivers, operational considerations that may support on-street parking include:
a. Reduced posted speeds in the downtown at 40 km/hr.
b. Restricted parking in areas of proximity to pedestrian crossings, intersections, or parking lot accesses and exits.
c. The curb side lane that will be transitioned to timed parking allowance is wider, at approximately 3.7m, whereas typical parking requirements are approximately 2.6m in width. This allows for some spacefor doors opening away from the inside travel lanes of the roadway.
2. Pilot project final recommendations vary with public or stakeholder opinion. A general risk associated with any pilot project is that the outcome of the assessment does not match stakeholder or public expectations. In this case, the potential loss of parking stalls may be perceived as a significant impact by stakeholders. Administration will utilize performance measurements associated with safety and enforcement that will help mitigate the contentiousness - with quantifiable values of support or non-support based upon the priority which is public safety.
3. Being a new operational aspect of the roadway, the initial setup will consider safety and operations of the roadway. Based upon driver responses and any reports of concern, reported (witnessed or collision data) safety issues, or continuous non-compliance associated with enforcement, site changes and adjustments may be required through the pilot project in response to attempting to meet the objective of the motion while responding accordingly to site issues.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Not Applicable
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
NA
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Report Date: April 21, 2026
Author: Dean Schick, Transportation Manager
Department: Engineering
Department Director: Dawny George
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher