Ben Brown
Is there a headache worse than parking downtown Oakville on a Friday night?
Residents and visitors have long grappled with the frustrating process of finding and paying for parking in Oakville. Recognizing the demand, the town recently announced a collaboration with contactless payment provider HONK and parking solutions creators eleven-x to make parking easier.
This marks the second time the town had announced a collaboration with HONK in about six years when Mayor Rob Burton originally stated, "With the Honk app, there is no waiting at the pay stations. It's easy as - park, search, pay-and-go".
It seems now that the collaboration has been revamped, though residents have expressed mixed opinions over its usefulness. Yet, it is undeniably an interesting direction that the app suggests for the future of visiting and shopping in Oakville, so we had to try it.
Pulling into Downtown Oakville around 7 p.m. on Friday, the streets were lined with cars, and searching for a parking spot felt like a quest.
The service has embedded over 1,200 sensors under the streets of Downtown Oakville for users to see what's available either on the app or on the signposts as they enter downtown.
Ben Brown
However, unless you have someone in the car with you, you must find a spot first, then find it on the app and pay.
Currently, most of the town's parking machines follow a six-step payment process, but with HONK, it's only three steps, assuming you've filled in your credit card information beforehand.
Luckily I did.
However, there are noticeable shortcomings in the interface, such as no real-time location tracking in-app and delayed updates for spot availability.
As well, the app doesn't identify buildings by name, referring to them instead by their unit number.
I asked Dan, a resident who was paying at the machine in the lot if he had tried the app, to which he replied: "I've tried to understand it, but this (physical pay machine) is much more clear, especially since all of these parking areas are labelled a lot more clear."
Blake Lennox, owner of Burrow's Clothiers, said that he is desperately hoping for an effective solution to parking in the town after spots have been designated for patios, EV stations, and general revitalization.
Regarding HONK, Lennox stated, "I think the idea is great, but I have heard some complaints, especially when someone is a little older and doesn't have the speed to download, sign up and then sign in to the app. I have often asked where people are parked and paid for their parking as a result."
With my completed search for a spot, I checked to realize that it wasn't a recognized spot in the app, despite being clearly labelled as a parking area. Now having to look on the app to identify a designated HONK area to park, it took about 14 more minutes to find a new spot.
Ben Brown
Speaking with the town's strategy and support services manager, Margaret Boswell revealed that the additional payment method had split the revenue between electronic payment and payment machines/meters.
After asking what benchmarks will be used to determine if HONK has successfully revolutionized parking in Oakville, Boswell explained that the Town is looking for an opportunity to expand the use of the app through promotional codes/coupons that businesses could give to their customers.
It was said that the town monitors the app's usage rate and will introduce promotional initiatives as it is recognized that increasing the adoption of the HONK app is essential for the success of their parking revolution.
The effort by the town does represent a shift towards a more unique and digitized experience for Oakville, but it has slight improvements to make before it achieves the scale of usage it aspires to.
This year, Burton stated, "This partnership highlights the collaboration between technology companies and the town in using technology to enhance town services."
As an Oakville resident or frequent visitor of the town, it's clear that the future is bright for town services and the integration of technology to enhance the experience of the community. This process will not be a sprint; it will be a marathon that requires the feedback and participation of Oakville residents and visitors.
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