Quarry Lake Paid Parking Proposal

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Consultation has concluded

Based on public feedback to our proposal, on March 2, 2021 Council approved a paid parking program at Quarry Lake Park to manage parking and visitation demand. Canmore residents are eligible for a free parking pass at Quarry Lake Park and Residential Parking Permit zones will be created to manage overflow parking issues in nearby neighbourhoods. Parking revenues are intended to fund maintenance at Quarry Lake Park including additional washrooms and waste bins, as well as the operating costs of the parking system.

Council also approved a new 2021 capital project for $1,160,000 to plan a seasonal transit route to Quarry Lake, the Nordic Centre, and Grassi Lakes in collaboration with Alberta Parks, to begin operation in 2022, including purchase of a new bus and construction of four new bus stops to be funded mostly by provincial grants with the remainder coming from reserves. Visit https://canmore.ca/projects/transportation-projects/quarry-lake-paid-parking for all the details about the program.

The What We Heard Report and updated proposal can be referenced in the documents section on the right hand side of this page.

Quarry Lake Parking Pass: A annual pass is available to Canmore residents. Passes are available through online application. One pass is available per household at no cost. Additional passes are charged an administration fee of $20. Passes will be linked to vehicle license plates, not distribution of hang tags.

Rationale: Residents responding to the survey are predominantly visiting Quarry Lake Park in off-peak times and predominantly for dog walking. This is in contrast to the Town Centre, where intensive use of parking for extended stays by employees coincides with peak customer parking and is an important focus of parking management initiatives. Residents fund operating and enhancement costs directly through taxation.

Lot Pricing: Residents without a pass and visitors pay $20 for up to 4 hours of parking in peak season and $10 for up to 4 hours in off-peak season. Additional sessions can be purchased at the same pricing for extended stays. Pay parking is in effect for all park hours year-round.

Rationale: With limited parking and park space available, a need to continue to renew sessions, with no all-day option, is proposed as an encouragement to turn-over parking spaces and better manage demand for use of the park. Twenty dollars for parking and park use is in line with other Alberta destinations, when considering the combination of parking and amenity use. This is a rate that will offset costs of additional parking and maintenance at Quarry Lake, and fund costs of operating the parking system. In future years, when parking system costs are shared with other areas, it is a rate that can support funding transportation initiatives. A cost is now associated with a visit by car to Quarry Lake, however the visitor experience will be greatly improved with additional washrooms, waste bins, parking spaces, and increased maintenance.

Costs of park maintenance, including 4-season washroom access, and operational costs of the parking system, are year-round. Demand can be high in off-season periods with good weather. By charging year-round, a greater percentage of revenues can be invested in transportation initiatives to address peak-season (and growing off-season) congestion.

Expanded Resident Parking Permit (RPP) Zones: Residential areas near the boundary of Quarry Lake Park will have a seasonal RPP zone established (June - September). Residential Parking Permits can be applied for online with two free permits per household. Additional permits are $100. The expanded zones are identified below. Areas may be expanded by resident request through a petition process if problems are identified outside of the RPP zones.

Rationale: RPP zones are used to manage acute spillover issues in areas in close proximity to pay parking zones. The zone areas identified are intended to address these areas without overextending and creating additional management work for administration and hassle for residents.

Original Proposal

Canmore experienced increased visitation to Quarry Lake in 2020, and parking demand exceeded the parking available. Spillover from the formal parking area affected Highway 742 and adjacent residential areas. Temporary measures were taken to manage overflow parking, including restricting parking. For 2021, we are proposing to begin charging for parking at Quarry Lake to help manage demand and fund operating costs associated with extra washrooms, and parking lot maintenance. To better manage spillover parking in neighborhoods, a Residential Parking Permit program is proposed on the closest portions of roadway within the adjacent neighbourhoods of Peaks of Grassi and Rundleview.

To learn more about parking management in Canmore, please review Canmore's Parking Management Plan, located in the Documents section on the right.

Proposed Plan

  • Paid parking to be in place seasonally starting on the May Long weekend up to and including the September Long weekend.
  • Paid parking to be in effect seven days per week between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Yellow Zone - Six stalls provided for dog walkers at no charge, with a one-hour time limit.
  • Orange Zone - Six stalls designated as a pick-up and drop-off zone at no charge, with a 15 minute time limit.
  • Green Zone - 57 stalls designated as all day parking, with the following prices:
    • 2 hrs - $5
    • 4 hrs - $10
    • All-day - $20
  • Blue Zone - 65 stalls designated as four-hour maximum parking, with the following prices:
    • 2 hrs - $5
    • 4 hrs - $10

*The above prices and stall allocations may be adjusted based on utilization rates. The goal of the program is to make sure there is parking available when it is needed.*

Residential Parking Spillover
We are proposing to implement a Residential Parking Permit Program in certain areas of the Peaks of Grassi and Rundleview neighbourhoods to address spillover parking issues for Quarry Lake. These zones will allow Bylaw Services to enforce parking in these zones effectively using new technology tied to license plate recognition.

Peaks of Grassi:
The photo below outlines (in red) the proposed Residential Parking Permit Zone for the Peaks of Grassi. The only vehicles allowed to park in the area would be residents in the zone who register their vehicles, as well as visitor passes for those homes. No other parking would be allowed.

Rundleview:
The photo below outlines (in red) the proposed Residential Parking Permit Zone for Rundleview. The zone would also include two-hour parking, which would allow vehicles to park for weddings in the area, as well as other short-term uses. Residents in the zone would be eligible to apply for permits, as well as visitor passes.


Based on public feedback to our proposal, on March 2, 2021 Council approved a paid parking program at Quarry Lake Park to manage parking and visitation demand. Canmore residents are eligible for a free parking pass at Quarry Lake Park and Residential Parking Permit zones will be created to manage overflow parking issues in nearby neighbourhoods. Parking revenues are intended to fund maintenance at Quarry Lake Park including additional washrooms and waste bins, as well as the operating costs of the parking system.

Council also approved a new 2021 capital project for $1,160,000 to plan a seasonal transit route to Quarry Lake, the Nordic Centre, and Grassi Lakes in collaboration with Alberta Parks, to begin operation in 2022, including purchase of a new bus and construction of four new bus stops to be funded mostly by provincial grants with the remainder coming from reserves. Visit https://canmore.ca/projects/transportation-projects/quarry-lake-paid-parking for all the details about the program.

The What We Heard Report and updated proposal can be referenced in the documents section on the right hand side of this page.

Quarry Lake Parking Pass: A annual pass is available to Canmore residents. Passes are available through online application. One pass is available per household at no cost. Additional passes are charged an administration fee of $20. Passes will be linked to vehicle license plates, not distribution of hang tags.

Rationale: Residents responding to the survey are predominantly visiting Quarry Lake Park in off-peak times and predominantly for dog walking. This is in contrast to the Town Centre, where intensive use of parking for extended stays by employees coincides with peak customer parking and is an important focus of parking management initiatives. Residents fund operating and enhancement costs directly through taxation.

Lot Pricing: Residents without a pass and visitors pay $20 for up to 4 hours of parking in peak season and $10 for up to 4 hours in off-peak season. Additional sessions can be purchased at the same pricing for extended stays. Pay parking is in effect for all park hours year-round.

Rationale: With limited parking and park space available, a need to continue to renew sessions, with no all-day option, is proposed as an encouragement to turn-over parking spaces and better manage demand for use of the park. Twenty dollars for parking and park use is in line with other Alberta destinations, when considering the combination of parking and amenity use. This is a rate that will offset costs of additional parking and maintenance at Quarry Lake, and fund costs of operating the parking system. In future years, when parking system costs are shared with other areas, it is a rate that can support funding transportation initiatives. A cost is now associated with a visit by car to Quarry Lake, however the visitor experience will be greatly improved with additional washrooms, waste bins, parking spaces, and increased maintenance.

Costs of park maintenance, including 4-season washroom access, and operational costs of the parking system, are year-round. Demand can be high in off-season periods with good weather. By charging year-round, a greater percentage of revenues can be invested in transportation initiatives to address peak-season (and growing off-season) congestion.

Expanded Resident Parking Permit (RPP) Zones: Residential areas near the boundary of Quarry Lake Park will have a seasonal RPP zone established (June - September). Residential Parking Permits can be applied for online with two free permits per household. Additional permits are $100. The expanded zones are identified below. Areas may be expanded by resident request through a petition process if problems are identified outside of the RPP zones.

Rationale: RPP zones are used to manage acute spillover issues in areas in close proximity to pay parking zones. The zone areas identified are intended to address these areas without overextending and creating additional management work for administration and hassle for residents.

Original Proposal

Canmore experienced increased visitation to Quarry Lake in 2020, and parking demand exceeded the parking available. Spillover from the formal parking area affected Highway 742 and adjacent residential areas. Temporary measures were taken to manage overflow parking, including restricting parking. For 2021, we are proposing to begin charging for parking at Quarry Lake to help manage demand and fund operating costs associated with extra washrooms, and parking lot maintenance. To better manage spillover parking in neighborhoods, a Residential Parking Permit program is proposed on the closest portions of roadway within the adjacent neighbourhoods of Peaks of Grassi and Rundleview.

To learn more about parking management in Canmore, please review Canmore's Parking Management Plan, located in the Documents section on the right.

Proposed Plan

  • Paid parking to be in place seasonally starting on the May Long weekend up to and including the September Long weekend.
  • Paid parking to be in effect seven days per week between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Yellow Zone - Six stalls provided for dog walkers at no charge, with a one-hour time limit.
  • Orange Zone - Six stalls designated as a pick-up and drop-off zone at no charge, with a 15 minute time limit.
  • Green Zone - 57 stalls designated as all day parking, with the following prices:
    • 2 hrs - $5
    • 4 hrs - $10
    • All-day - $20
  • Blue Zone - 65 stalls designated as four-hour maximum parking, with the following prices:
    • 2 hrs - $5
    • 4 hrs - $10

*The above prices and stall allocations may be adjusted based on utilization rates. The goal of the program is to make sure there is parking available when it is needed.*

Residential Parking Spillover
We are proposing to implement a Residential Parking Permit Program in certain areas of the Peaks of Grassi and Rundleview neighbourhoods to address spillover parking issues for Quarry Lake. These zones will allow Bylaw Services to enforce parking in these zones effectively using new technology tied to license plate recognition.

Peaks of Grassi:
The photo below outlines (in red) the proposed Residential Parking Permit Zone for the Peaks of Grassi. The only vehicles allowed to park in the area would be residents in the zone who register their vehicles, as well as visitor passes for those homes. No other parking would be allowed.

Rundleview:
The photo below outlines (in red) the proposed Residential Parking Permit Zone for Rundleview. The zone would also include two-hour parking, which would allow vehicles to park for weddings in the area, as well as other short-term uses. Residents in the zone would be eligible to apply for permits, as well as visitor passes.


  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Quarry Lake Paid Parking Survey

    Paid parking is one tool identified in Canmore's Parking Management Plan. The objective of the program is to make sure there is parking available at Quarry Lake when it is needed. As such, stall allocation numbers, and pricing are subject to adjustment based on utilization rates once the program starts.

    You need to be a registered user prior to completing the survey. Please take 30 seconds to register by clicking here.

    Consultation has concluded
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