These cards allow you to fill a meter and, before leaving your parking spot, receive a refund for unused time. They alleviate the need to carry change and to guess how long you'll be away from your car. Parking Smart Cards are available for purchase at several downtown locations:

The initial cost of the card is $30, which includes $25 worth of parking plus $5 for the card. The cards are refillable once empty and, at that time, between $20 and $50 can be added to the card. They can be used to purchase time at any one of the 90-minute downtown parking meters.

How to use Parking Smart Cards

Putting Time on a Meter:

• Insert the card firmly into the parking meter slot with the chip side facing up.
• Parking meter display will indicate the remaining card value.
• Parking meter display will start charging the card by increments of ten minutes. A minimum of ten minutes must be purchased.
• Remove the card when the desired length of time has been put on the meter

Recovering Remaining Time from a Meter:

• When ready to leave, insert the card firmly into the parking meter card slot with the chip side facing up.
• When the meter display shows "REF" (the meter has recognized your card), it will credit each unused minute increment. (For example, if you come back with 20 minutes remaining on the meter, you would get a credit for 50 cents.)
• Remove the card.

New City Parking Card

The new pay stations will automatically debit the maximum time of the zone from a parking card; before returning to your vehicle, simply insert your card into any pay station and you will be refunded unused time.

To use the new City parking card at any computerized on-street pay station:

1. Enter four-digit space number
2. Press green button
3. Insert parking card
4. Press green button
5. Remove card
6. Take receipt

To refund unused time:

1. When ready to leave, insert card into pay station
2. Press green button
3. Remove card
4. Take receipt

These coupons are available from many downtown retailers and allow for one free hour at any of the five City-operated downtown parkades:

1. Centennial Square Parkade 600 Fisgard St.
2. Bastion Square Parkade 575 Yates St.
3. Johnson Street Parkade 750 Johnson St.
4. View Street Parkade 743 View St.
5. Library Parkade 745 Broughton St.

Business owners can buy the coupons at City Hall at an excellent price: they cost 10 cents each but have a $1.00 cent value for your customers. Tickets come in packages of 50 for $5.00 plus GST.

1. Plan Your Trip and Parking Accordingly
   • Parkades - Short to long-term parking
   • Surface Lots - Short to long-term parking
   • On-Street (meters and limited time zones) - Short-term only
What parking options are available in the area of town you are visiting? Your length of stay will determine which your best option is.
Use one of the many City of Victoria or private parkades if there is a possibility of running late (use First Hour Free coupons at City parkades -- Inexpensive short-term rates - $5.00 for 3 hours).
The purpose of metered and time limit zones is to encourage the turnover of vehicles in places where there is a high demand for on-street parking. If your appointment requires longer term parking, save the cost of a ticket and use a private lot.


2. Read The Meters
   • Parking Meter heads are colour coded for specific purposes
     • Dark Green for 2 hour max
     • Blue for 90 minutes max
     • Lime Green for small vehicles (3 meter max. length)
     • Red for 20 minutes max
     • Yellow for handicapped parking (2 hour max)
   • The days and hours the meter is in effect (in Victoria, meters are in effect 9am to 6pm, with the exception of Sundays and statutory holidays).
   • Whether there are rush hour restrictions which require the vehicle to be moved.
   • Time on a parking meter is read as hr:min -- i.e. 80 minutes is read on the meter as 1:20 (1 hour and 20 minutes).
   • Your vehicle should be parallel to the curb with your front bumper just behind the meter post.
Hurried motorists often forget to check the information on the meter before depositing coins. Some of the important things they might miss include:


3. Use the Parking Smart Card
These cards allow you to fill the meter and receive a refund for unused time. No more guessing how long you are going to be away from your car. These cards are available at the City of Victoria Public Service Desk and The Bay Centre Guest Services desk.


4. Watch for Signs
As the pressure for on-street parking continues to build, more areas of Victoria have posted parking restrictions. New permit and resident only zones are added each year, time limit areas expand and rush hour signing multiplies. When you throw in additional "temporary" signing for construction zones, and street cleaning, it means even the quietest side street can have regulated parking. Signs without specific times listed are in effect 24 hours a day.


5. Know the Various Parking Zones
   • Commercial Truck Loading -- Used by commercial trucks displaying a Provincial Municipal Decal available from City Hall
   • Passenger Loading Zone -- Exclusive use for vehicles while engaged in the loading or unloading of passengers
   • General Loading Zone -- Allows for 15 minutes while loading or unloading goods or merchandise - also acts as a Passenger Loading Zone
   • Hotel Zone -- Specifically used by hotel patrons while checking in or out
   • Taxi Zone -- Specifically for Taxis
   • Bus Zone -- Exclusive to Buses
   • Yellow lines -- Signifies a no stopping zone
6. Leave Bus Stops for Buses
Drivers often pull into bus stops to wait for a friend, buy a cup of coffee or use a bank machine. Even a quick stop blocks the zone, forcing Transit drivers to unload or load passengers on the street. This is a potential hazard for elderly and handicapped passengers and an inconvenience for other motorists when the bus is unable to pull into the zone.
Parking Enforcement has a zero tolerance policy for bus stop violators; no warnings, no explanations, just a ticket.


7. Respect Residential Parking Restrictions
In responding to neighbourhood concerns about parking pressures, the City of Victoria has established dozens of permit and resident only parking zones. These areas are clearly posted and for the exclusive use of area residents.

Residential zones are enforced seven days a week to ensure residents and their guests have access to on-street parking in their street.

8. Err on the Side of Caution
Have I parked too close to the corner? What do those signs mean? Am I blocking another vehicle? If you're not sure, find another spot. Parking Enforcement receives thousands of complaints each year from people inconvenienced by a poor parking decision.

Here are a few parking facts you may not be aware of:

• Tourism is Victoria's #1 industry and The City recognizes the value of our visitors, so courtesy tickets are given to identifiable tourists (those with out-of-province license plates).
• The City has designated 28 metered on-street parking spaces in the downtown core for use by people with a valid disabled placard on their vehicle. Disabled drivers can purchase up to two hours of parking time at these spaces. All 28 spaces meet the physical requirements of specially equipped vehicles. In addition, they are permitted a free hour at a regular meter, should a handicapped one not be available.

Common Parking Mistakes:

• "I was just getting change!" is likely the top excuse given for time infractions. Avoid this by purchasing a Parking Smart Card. You won't have to worry about carrying change nor will you have to guess how long to plug the meter for.
• If you are in a limited time zone and need more time, it is not enough to pull forward a couple of feet. It is a violation to remain on the same block and your vehicle must be moved off the block for the same amount of time as the particular zone is. (i.e. If you're in a 1-hour zone, you must leave the block for 1 hour before returning to park.)
• Parking closer than 1 metre to another car is a violation
• Parking further than 30 cm from the curb is a violation of the Provincial Motor Vehicle Act. The City has adopted this into its bylaws.
• When parking in an angled space on the street, you must pull in forward; do not reverse into these spaces.
• You can receive multiple tickets. A ticket can be issued for every cycle of time at a meter or time zone. This means at a 90 minute meter you could receive a ticket for each 90 minute period.
• Do not park in front of any driveway entrance. Even if it's your driveway or you don't think the driveway is in use.

Parking Ticket Disputes
A recently implemented system clarifies infractions. Now, all non-time-related infractions are supported by photos, so both you and the parking Commissionaire can see exactly why a ticket was given. If you think you received an unfair parking ticket or simply want an explanation for it, there is a formal review process in place. Contact the City of Victoria Parking Review Office at 361-0252 and check the back of your parking ticket for details.