Peg City Car Co-op asking city for more parking

A Peg City Car Co-op vehicle is pictured in an undated file image. (CTV News Winnipeg)

A city committee is being asked to expand car sharing parking options to allow a local car co-op to meet demand.

Next week, the Standing Policy Committee on Public Works will hear a proposal from Peg City Car Co-op (PCCC) to get an exemption from parking laws in downtown Winnipeg and surrounding areas.

The city's only car sharing company currently has 13 station-based vehicles in reserved on-street spaces. This means the cars are picked up and dropped off in the same parking spot every time.

Now, PCCC is asking the city to allow a free-floating, zone-based parking option. It would let co-op drivers park in any space within a certain area with no time limit. It would also allow for cars to park on the same side of the block more than once per day where time-limited parking is in effect.

As is the case with the existing station-based permits, each free-floating zone-based permit will be linked to a specific vehicle’s licence plate number. These vehicles will be exempt from on-street parking time limits and payment requirements in the designated free-floating car share zone.

Outside the zone, drivers would still have to pay for parking and observe time limits.

The free-floating zone would not cover paid parking lots, including those at the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital.

PCCC is planning to launch 35 free-floating vehicles this year -- with the addition of another 20 per year if the system proves popular.

The city would need to amend the parking by-law to allow for the change.

The public works committee will look at the recommendation on Feb. 7.