Town of Drumheller is moving forward with a one-month trial of its paid parking program beginning on Monday, October 2 at a number of Town-owned parking lots and tourist hotspots, including the Badlands Community Facility (BCF), World’s Largest Dinosaur and Rotary Park, and street parking along Riverside Drive East.
The trial will wrap up on Tuesday, October 31 and Protective and Emergency Services director Greg Peters is expected to bring the results of the trial back to council by December.
“The trial period is intended to manage the risk of implementation roll out and will test out the method and approach used for further implementation of the program,” says a statement from the Town of Drumheller. “Experience with using the system will aid our staff in understanding the areas that we need to improve on and considerations that need to be made when moving forward.”
When fully implemented, the program is expected to run between May 1 and October 31.
Funds collected as part of the program are anticipated to help offset the additional pressures placed on municipal services and infrastructure due to the annual influx of visitors coming to the Drumheller Valley. By implementing a trial ahead of the anticipated May 2024 launch of the program, Town staff will be able to “preemptively examine if any changes in approach, scope and direction” are required.
Throughout the trial, Municipal Enforcement will be checking for compliance, but will not be giving infraction tickets; this will allow them to offer the community with information about the program and ensure residents and visitors are aware of the program.
The program is being managed by the HotSpot mobile parking app, and is fully digital. Users will input their vehicle’s license plate number and pay a nominal fee of $2 per hour for parking lots, $2.50 per hour for street parking, or $20 for all day parking.
While visitors will be subject to these fees, residents of Drumheller can register for a residential parking permit through the HotSpot app or website, which will exempt them from these fees.
Registration for residential parking permits opened on Monday, September 18, and instructions on how residents can register up to four vehicles per household can be found on the Drumheller.ca website.
Similar to paying to park, residents will input their license plate information.
Additional vehicle information such as year, make, model, or a nickname for each vehicle can also be registered. In order to register for a residential parking permit, residents must also upload proof of residency, such as a driver’s license, utility bill, or insurance. Application approval can take upwards of 24 hours, and applicants will receive confirmation of approval.
Residents who have additional questions can reach out to Protective and Emergency Services for more information at 403-823-1363 or by email at protectiveservices@drumheller.ca; for more information about the residential parking permit and application process, residents are encouraged to contact HotSpot Parking Support at support@htsp.ca or by phone at 1-855-712-5888.