If you've been frustrated by parking at the hospital or downtown in Prince George, some relief may be on the horizon.
The city launched the next phase of its parking modernization study with an open house Tuesday, June 24 at the House of Ancestors.
City staff, project leads and consultants from LEA Consulting were on hand to answer questions, gather feedback and present preliminary recommendations.
So far, the study has identified several major concerns from residents: a lack of available parking, safety issues, limited accessible spaces, time limits and enforcement on streets, confusing payment systems and the cost of parking.
The open house also gave residents a chance to voice their concerns directly to city staff. These included issues with accessible parking at the civic centre, problems with payment systems at both the hospital and civic centre, and requests for more courtesy parking for hospital volunteers.
Staff shared data on current parking usage in problem areas, projected future demand and potential recommendations. These suggestions were based on nearly 1,500 survey responses and the findings of LEA representatives working in the city.
Robert Keel, LEA’s transportation planning manager and project lead, spoke with The Citizen at the open house about short-term changes that could be implemented downtown.
“Security and safety were other areas that came up very frequently in our online surveys,” said Keel. “That’s something people have flagged, saying, ‘I don't feel comfortable parking downtown,’ either due to concerns about break-ins or being approached by someone. We brought one of our security specialists from Ontario to do a site visit at all the off-street facilities, documenting light levels, conditions and accessibility. We have a full set of recommendations on how to make those areas safer and more welcoming.”
Keel noted that parking is often available within a block of most downtown destinations, but unclear signage and inconsistent rules often cause confusion — something the city is aiming to fix.
He also said hospital parking was a recurring issue in the feedback.
“In the hospital zone, people find the current system frustrating,” said Keel. “There’s a free zone with a two-hour limit, then a paid zone — but you wouldn’t know that from the signage. You can also park for two hours in the paid zone, which isn’t clear. We'd like the city to install some physical pay stations, since the current app-only system excludes those without smartphones or data. That creates a barrier for people who aren’t comfortable using technology to pay.”
Keel said he was encouraged by the high response rate to the city’s parking survey.
“There was a very high engagement rate, and that shows the community is passionate,” he said. “They had a lot of suggestions about how to improve parking and the downtown area in general. That level of feedback really helps us make informed recommendations.”
He added that one resident’s survey response echoed an idea already under consideration by his team.
“We’re looking at Second Avenue, which is currently four lanes and one-way westbound,” Keel said. “It rarely has the traffic volume to justify that kind of arterial design. We’d like to explore converting it to a two-way street, similar to Third Avenue, with angled parking on both sides. That would allow for wider sidewalks and a better public realm, all without the city needing to acquire more land. It’s currently a wasted space with a highway-like layout — and interestingly, the suggestion came from a resident.”
Mayor Simon Yu also attended the open house and spoke with residents and staff about potential solutions.
In an interview with The Citizen, Mayor Yu addressed some of the structural design challenges related to parking.
“Prince George’s downtown wasn’t designed for 80,000-plus people,” said Yu. “Even though the city has expanded — with malls, suburbs, College Heights and parks — this is still the heart of the city. People come here for all sorts of services, and we need to make sure they can find parking.”
Yu added that long-term solutions may require embracing new technologies.
“In the future, we’ll need to use the latest AI to analyze how people move from one place to another,” said Yu. “Cities around the world are testing driverless transportation. If we can better synchronize people’s schedules — whether they’re going to the hospital or elsewhere — we may not need everyone to drive their own car. That’s something we need to start planning for now.”
