Current Status of Accessible Parking
The City of Saskatoon provides accessible on-street parking in pay parking areas in the form of accessible parking stalls and loading zones. Currently, no formal City policy or provincial legislation mandate a required number or size of accessible on-street parking stalls.
Vehicles that park in an accessible on-street parking stall must display their accessible parking placard, which is received through an application to SaskAbilities. Vehicles parked in an on-street park stall that are not displaying a SaskAbilities placard may be subject to a $200 fine.
Vehicles displaying a SaskAbilities placard are also permitted to park in a loading zone for up to the maximum time limit for the area, instead of for the time limit posted for the loading zone.
Accessible Parking Review
In February 2022, a letter was submitted to the Standing Policy Committee (SPC) on Transportation regarding barriers to accessible parking for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, specifically in Downtown Saskatoon.
The letter included three recommendations for improvements to address barriers to accessible parking:
- create more accessible parking stalls in Downtown Saskatoon;
- review and consider retiring the Disabled Parking Sticker Program; and
- complete an accessibility audit.
In response to this letter, SPC directed City Administration to conduct an Accessible Parking Review. The results of this review will be presented to SPC sometime in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The project will include:
- a review of the accessible parking permit program;
- an audit of the current on-street accessible parking within pay parking areas, including quantity of accessible parking spaces, characteristics of the parking stalls (e.g., distance to curb ramp, distance to building entrances, distance to crosswalks, etc.); and
- a review of potential gaps in standards and design specifications (e.g., accessible parking identification, curb ramp designs, accessible parking aisle widths, etc.).
Elements of the review will include public engagement and a municipal scan for best practices.
