Downtown Brampton is about to undergo a major makeover. With water main replacement project starting in September and a subsequent streetscaping project, the downtown core is expected to be under construction for at least 2 and a half years.
While all the work happens the city will shut down Main Street from Wellington Street to Nelson Street West, as well as Queen Street from George Street to Chapel Street for the duration of the project, eliminating street parking options in the area. Some sidewalks will stay open to pedestrians.
To help make it easier for residents and businesses in the area, city council approved a decision to extend parking hours at all five of its municipally owned parking garages downtown.
Currently, free parking is available for one hour at the Rose Theatre, city hall, West Tower, Nelson Square and John street garages. But free parking will be extended to two hours at all of the garages, except for John Street which will be extended to three hours.
Free parking in the evenings at all garages will start at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., and free parking on weekends and holidays will continue.
On-street parking rules will continue as-is. Drivers can park for free on some downtown streets from Monday to Saturday between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m., as well as on Sundays and holidays for up to three hours.
A big complaint from many has been that people don’t know where parking garages downtown are located. The city plans to fix this by installing new wayfinding signage.
As of now, the city hasn’t provided a start date for the new parking hours, but construction is slated to begin in the fall.
