Inadequate parking has long been a complaint of many people who shop downtown.
The recent opening of Sorensen Station has helped address this concern, say two Ross Street merchants.
“I think that it’s done a world of good,” said Laura Cadrin, owner of La Petite Jaune Fleur.
Not only have customers told her they’re using the three-level parkade on 49th Avenue, Cadrin said she’s noticed more vacant spots in front of her store.
Paul Harris, co-owner of nearby Sunworks Home & Garden, has also observed a difference.
“I do know there are customers using the parkade, so that’s good,” he said.
Red Deer Downtown Business Association chairman Al Gamble said his organization supported the parkade project. But he maintains there was always parking available.
“If you’re willing to walk, certainly there are parking spots.”
Motorists’ reluctance to use foot power to get them to storefronts has been an issue, agreed Cadrin and Harris. They point out that many consumers think nothing of walking great distances through mall parking lots.
“I just don’t see why people don’t see the connection with driving to a mall, walking a mile to the entrance and then walking another mile to the store,” said Harris.
Cadrin and Gamble added there was always plenty of space in city-owned parking lots downtown.
“There’s a big one right behind my shop, and nobody ever uses it,” said Cadrin.
Some people have told her they don’t want to walk around a building to get to their destination, but she keeps her back door open so customers have access from the rear.
Parking concerns aren’t restricted to Red Deer’s downtown.
When Bower Place Shopping Centre expanded several years ago, there were worries that its lot would be insufficient to accommodate the demands of Christmas shoppers. Ultimately, the mall agreed to provide off-site parking for its tenants’ staff during the busiest days prior to Dec. 25.
Complaints still resulted, said shopping centre manager Roxanne Kirton. But while there are still mall users who park inappropriately during the Christmas rush, she has yet to receive any negative feedback this season.
“People are now maybe getting a little more accustomed to it,” she said, speculating that those who previously balked at parking in a distant corner of the Bower Place Shopping Centre property now accept it as a seasonal reality.
The mall continues to offer staff parking at Red Deer College, with shuttle service back and forth, and asks those who want to park at the mall to do so in the northeast area of the lot, said Kirton.
These provisions apply on weekends in December and the three days prior to Christmas.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com