By Cheryl Jahn

New downtown parking survey coming

Mar 26, 2025 | 2:40 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Parking in the downtown and around the hospital has been a bug-a-boo for years. Nearly a decade ago, the days of free parking in the downtown disappeared when the City introduced three-hour parking restrictions. But even that created some angst among frequent visitors to the City’s core.

“This is something I’ve wanted us to look at since getting on council six years ago,” explains Councillor Kyle Sampson. “I think we’ve got a model that came in place at a time when meters were phasing out and trying to find a model that worked. But it’s not working for folks. People come down at night. In the morning, they have a half an hour appointment and they can’t come back downtown at two in the afternoon without getting dinged. And that doesn’t work.”

With that in mind, the City is undertaking a survey to determine a better look for parking, not only in the downtown but around the hospital, which was brought into the three-hour restrictions in 2024.

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“The City has commissioned a parking modernization study,” says Eric Depenau, Director of Administrative Services. “We’re going to go out. We’re going to look at best practices. We’re gonna look at safety considerations, accessibility considerations, supply design, infrastructure maintenance, the whole gamut, and try to come up with something that improves on the existing system.”

The survey will take a different tack, targeting specific interest groups.

“There are folks who have a specific interest in this topic beyond those just coming downtown in the course of their business. And so groups like Tourism Prince George, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Prince George, and also the city’s accessibility committee, we really want to ensure that that voice is included in this review.”

Right now, parking around the hospital is a bit dicey, but Councillor Kyle Sampson acknowledges the last thing people need to worry about is parking when they’re visiting the hospital. He asks for patience.

“We’re trying to work with [Northern Health] the best we can. We’re providing parking offsite for their employees at a low-cost rate to Northern Health to try to assist and facilitate that.”

The survey will launch in April with the results coming to Council in July.