Launch of an innovative project to mutualize parking spaces in the Central District

Article from La Presse

More than 100 off-street parking units will be shared starting September 1, 2023, to address the demand from residents and workers in the Central District neighbourhood of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. This innovative three-year pilot project will also enable better parking management to enhance accessibility and attractiveness for employees in this significant job hub at the center of Montreal Island.

"The sharing of parking spaces is a dimension of mobility and is part of numerous measures outlined in the 2023-2025 Triennial Transportation Plan of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. We are pleased to have found partners to launch a pilot project in the heart of the employment sector of the borough, the Central District," states Emilie Thuillier, Mayor of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

"The deployment of the clicknpark offering in the area is a clear demonstration that our community is mobilized to find innovative solutions for the sustainable and harmonious transformation of the Central District. As the fourth largest employment center in Montreal, the need to coexist a multitude of uses, both economic and social, is essential for the vitality of the neighbourhood. We applaud the audacity of the stakeholders in this project," mentions Hélène Veilleux, General Manager of the Central District Business Development Corporation (SDC).

"Our clicknpark application allows the pooling of existing off-street parking for the benefit of the community, thus avoiding the construction of new parking lots in the city at the expense of our green spaces," emphasizes Carl Grenier, President of clicknpark.

A pilot project to mutualize parking spaces

In this context, the borough received a proposal from the firm clicknpark, "Stationner sans détour," to implement a parking management tool based on a mobile application. The use of this technology aims to facilitate the sharing and optimization of private-sector parking units for communal use.

Properties at 55 Louvain West, owned by AEDN, and Howard Szalavetz Buildings, which owns the outdoor parking spaces at 433 Chabanel and 960 Meilleur Street, will participate in the pilot project. Other partners will be able to join the project in the coming months. Additionally, the borough will make around fifty parking units available at the municipal site of 50-150 Louvain West, northeast of the area. Communauto will also be a partner in the pilot project by adding four vehicles to this parking area, which can be reserved and used by their members.

It is also planned that a portion of the municipal site will be made available free of charge to residents of the Central District, including the Saint-Simon neighbourhood, for 5 days during each winter period, specifically during snowstorms.

Ultimately, the pilot project aims to gain a better understanding of user needs and habits through the collected data. It will anticipate additional needs to continue developing bold projects that enable harmonious coexistence between different modes of transportation in the Central District.

Those involved in this program gathered, including Emilie Thuillier, Mayor of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, Hélène Veilleux, General Manager, and Geneviève Dufour, Director of Strategy and Business Relations of the Central District Business Development Corporation, Carl Grenier, President, Sara Joli-Coeur, Executive Vice President of clicknpark.com, "Stationner sans détour," Nathalie Pen, Marketing and Development Manager, Gabriel Sims, Network Planner at Communauto, Lorne Lieberman, owner of 55 Louvain West, and Jean-François Soulières, Commissioner of Economic Development for Ahuntsic-Cartierville. They visited the 50-150 Louvain West site, where one of the clicknpark shared parking areas will be located.

SOURCE: Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement d'Ahuntsic-Cartierville

For more information: Marlene Ouellet, Communications Officer, Ahuntsic-Cartierville Borough, Tel: 514-793-1119"