Downtown Calgary parking prices rank high in North America

When it comes to rising parking prices, New York, Calgary, and San Francisco are three world class cities rising high.

“Ridiculous! That’s absolutely ridiculous!” one Calgary resident told CityNews.

Downtown Calgary is the third most expensive place to park in all of North America.

“I mean, I’ve spent time in Vancouver, and I find way cheaper parking right in the downtown core. The busiest parts of downtown. For a day I can get $30,” said Moshe Lander, Calgary resident and economist at Concordia University.

The report from Lasalle Real Estate says Calgarians are paying an average of $366 a month to park downtown.

For reference, even Toronto is cheaper at $347.

Lander says the prices are a simple matter of supply and demand.

“If you have a limited amount of parking spaces available, and you have a large amount of people that want those parking spaces, then of course prices are going to be driven up,” Lander said.

Meanwhile, some Calgarians suggested to CityNews the city creates more affordable parking options. On the other hand, Lander thinks the solution lies in LRT Transportation.

“There are two, soon to be three lines running through the downtown core,” Lander said. “So, the fact is then, that very few people should need to be parking downtown. And so one of the ways you can address this problem is by not giving into the people’s complaints.”