For waterfront parking lots, Barrie is planning to replace hangtags with digital parking permits via the Hotspot app. There are ten parking lots where Barrie residents can park their vehicles for free. Once it is available, residents can get their vehicles registered online or using a Service Barrie location. 

Residents must “upload both the proof of residency and the vehicle registration” on the app or website for the city to ensure “the vehicle is registered to a Barrie address.” Brent Forsyth, director of Transit & Parking Strategy said during the Tuesday Finance & Corporate Services Committee meeting. “For those without internet or mobile phone access or unwilling to upload their documentation, they will be able to bring their documentation into Service Barrie.”

There is no limit on the number of vehicles one household can register and permit will have to be renewed every two years. 

The city launched Hotspot for daily and hourly parking last year and since then 15,000 accounts have been created. The pilot project for the residential permit was done in the Allandale neighborhood. 

Forsyth said students living with parents could use their address to get a permit. Though Barrie residents won’t have to pay for a parking permit, residents in adjacent municipalities will have to pay $90 and for those outside of that area will be charged $130. 

The hangtags issued since 2017 will expire on December 31, 2023 and no more hangtags will be issued starting this summer.  
 

Ward 5 councillor Robert Thomson said the hangtags should be discontinued sooner because some residents could register their vehicles and give away the hangtags. Rebecca James-Reid,

executive director of Access Barrie, said that more time was given because it was “not able to estimate the impact on Service Barrie.” The delay will ensure the smooth transition to the new service. 

After the unanimous approval by the committee, the proposal will go to the City Council for final approval. Pending green light from the council, residents can start using the new service starting summer.