On-Street Parking

Pay 'N Go On-Street Parking

The City of Victoria's computerized pay stations make parking easier and more inviting for downtown visitors.

The new pay stations allow you to Pay 'N Go. Once you've paid for parking, there's no need to return to your car. You simply Pay 'N Go.

Victoria's new Pay 'N Go on-street parking is convenient and easy to use, allowing you to:

  • Enter your space number and purchase time from any pay station downtown
  • pay by coin, credit card or the new City parking card
  • receive a parking receipt.

How to Use a Pay Station

Using a pay station is easy.

  1. Park and note your space number.
  2. At any pay station, enter your space number.
  3. Choose your method of payment (coin, credit card or the new City parking card).
  4. Purchase the parking time you require.
  5. Print and collect your receipt - there's no need to return to your vehicle!

A pay station's main screen provides prompts throughout the transaction. Your receipt includes your parking space number and the date and time of expiry.

Enforcement

A pay station is to be used for short-term, on-street parking downtown, Monday - Saturday from
9 a.m. - 6 p.m. unless otherwise posted. Most parking time zones allow you to park up to 90 minutes. If you need to park for a longer period of time, please visit one of the City's five parkades. 

On-street Metered Parking
If you are parked on-street in a metered zone (e.g. 90 minutes), you will need to move your vehicle to another parking space and pay for parking once your parking time is completed.

On-street Limited Time Parking Zone
If you are parked in a "limited time parking zone" (signed but not metered), you will need to move your vehicle to another block to continue parking once your initial time limit is completed.

Parking on Sundays and Statutory Mondays

On-street parking downtown and at City parkades is free on Sundays and statutory holidays.

Note: Pay parking is in effect 24/7 at the City's five surface parking lots.

Rates

There are three downtown time zones: 20 minutes, 90 minutes and 120 minutes.

The on-street parking rates for the new pay stations and existing single head meters as of
July 1, 2010 are as follows:

  • 25 cents for 6 minutes
  • $1 for 24 minutes
  • $2 for 48 minutes
  • $3.75 for 90 minutes

New City Parking Card for Pay Stations

Victoria's new on-street parking system does not accept the City's previous parking card. New City parking cards are available for use at all on-street pay stations. New parking cards can be purchased and reloaded at the Public Service Centre at City Hall for a one-time administration fee of $5, and parking time is available in $25 increments.

You can trade in your previous parking card for a new one and the balance will be transferred. The $5 new card fee will not be charged. Visit the Public Service Centre, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Victoria City Hall.

The City of Victoria is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged parking cards.

Note: City parkades and surface parking lots do not accept parking cards. The new single parking meter heads that were installed in November 2010 accept coins only. They do not accept parking cards at this time.

How to Reload Your Parking Card

There are two ways you can reload your City parking card:

  1. at the Public Service Centre at City Hall in $25 increments, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  2. at the pay station on display in the City Hall foyer, or at any on-street pay station downtown, using coins. (Canadian and American coins are accepted, except pennies.)

To reload at a pay station:

  1. Insert card
  2. Deposit coins
  3. Press STOP button
  4. Remove card
  5. Take your printed receipt

The City's reloadable Parking Card makes parking downtown easier.

Refund Unused Time

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 space number.
  2. Press green button.
  3. Insert parking card.
  4. Press the green button to log on.
  5. Remove card.
  6. Take receipt.

To refund unused time:

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

The City of Victoria is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged parking cards.

Prepay Option

An added benefit of the new pay stations is that they allow you to prepay if you arrive downtown before on-street parking is enforced at
9 a.m. For example, if you arrive downtown at 8 a.m., you can park and prepay for up to 90 minutes. This will enable you to park until
10:30 a.m.

Remaining Single Head Meters

253 single head meters remain downtown to serve those who have mobility challenges (2 hour maximum), small vehicles (25 cents for 12 minutes) and 20-minute zone on-street parking spaces (25 cents for 10 minutes), as well as in areas where there are too few spaces to warrant a pay station.

The meter posts at these parking spaces are also numbered to offer you the option of using the new pay stations, however, the regular zone rate will apply (25 cents for 6 minutes.) The City is looking into enabling the pay stations to differentiate between zones in the future.

Meter Heads Accept Coins Only

In November 2010, the remaining single head meters which had passed their lifespan, were replaced with a newer model. The new single head parking meters accept coins only. They do not accept the City's previous parking card. Work is underway to have the new meter heads accept the City's new parking card in the future.