Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
Yes, it really speaks to the trust that The Forks has earned. They've done great things with that site, and charging a nominal amount for parking to improve it even further is a reasonable ask. Like any Winnipegger, I normally hate paying for parking but I certainly don't hesitate to drop a few bucks into the meter there.
Totally true that 20 years ago charging for parking at The Forks would have led to a public freakout. Like 2 hour long Peter Warren open line radio marathons with senior after senior calling in to castigate management and threatening to never return there.
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Yeah, there's a real shift in expectations when it comes to finding cheap/free parking close by at The Forks (and I would think the Exchange, also) in the last few years. It used to be a given: a free spot close to the market, or at least the choice of acres and acres of mostly empty lots on the Railside site. This doesn't mean that Winnipeggers are suddenly relying on their cars less, or are becoming less cheap, but I think they're becoming more realistic about what popular urban destinations look like, which means that parking is not cheap and readily available. Clearly this isn't keeping people away.
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The first phase of Railside (the southern half of the site) is still in the design concept stage. I don't believe any parking structures are being planned, at least not for non-residents. It's unfortunately still looking like a Danish suburban housing project that turns it's back on the main street and public pathways.