Parking Machines in the Heritage District

Effective Thursday, January 19, 2023, all Town parking machines, except for four (4), located within the Heritage District, no longer accept credit card payments.

The Town understands the difficulties this has caused customers and business owners and is sorry for the inconvenience. The Town is working on short and longer-term solutions to this matter.

The four (4) machines that do accept credit card payments have been relocated to more prominent locations in the Heritage District (see map below). Coins will continue to be accepted through all parking machines, as well as credit card payments via the Honk Mobile app. 

Parking machines currently accepting credit card payments: 

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Please review the questions and answers below for more information about parking in the Heritage District. 

• Why can I no longer pay via credit card at all parking machines?

  The Town's current parking machines stopped accepting credit cards earlier this year due to aging infrastructure and new credit card payment protocols. The Town's machines only have magnetic stripe readers, while newer payment protocols require chip readers and pin pads to authorize transactions. As a result, the Town was forced to discontinue the use of credit card payments at its existing parking machines.

• Why did the Town not plan for this?

  Sadly, the vendor provided very little notice to the Town about the device sunsetting – less than two weeks' notice. The Town investigated updating the current system with the parking machine vendor. However, the vendor was unable to update the existing parking machine equipment and the lack of notice the vendor provided gave no time for the Town to replace the machines before the machines ceased to work for credit card payments. Staff understands the difficulties this has caused customers and business owners. We are, therefore, working diligently to remedy the situation and provide additional payment options. We apologize for any inconvenience.

• What is the Town doing in the short-term to resolve this issue?

  Short-term corrective actions are being investigated and implemented to resolve this issue, including:

  • The Town’s Parking Team relocated the four (4) parking meters on Wednesday, May 3, that still accept credit card payments to busier and more visible locations in Old Town. These machines will allow guests to pay with a credit card, should they wish. Machines will be clearly identified as machines that accept credit card payments. The Town will share this information via signage, the Town's website and social media pages.

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  • Staff is securing a credit-to-change / cash-to-change machine to assist in providing change to those who need it.
  • All Honk Mobile QR codes throughout the Old Town have been checked to ensure they work.
  • Parking Staff will also be deployed as a resource during busy times to assist users in scanning the QR codes to help ensure success.
  • The Town has also increased its communication efforts to ensure that those who are coming into Old Town are aware of their payment options.
  •  As Staff continues to work through the long-term solution related to this matter, we are hopeful that these short-term efforts will prove to be beneficial and helpful to residents, visitors and businesses.
• What is the Town doing long-term to resolve this issue?

  Long-term options are currently being considered and will be reported back to Council for consideration as soon as possible (anticipated for Q2, 2023). The Town will continue to provide updates once they become available.

• I have previously used my credit card to pay for parking at a parking machine. Is my privacy at risk?

  No. Although the machines are not compliant with today's security protocols, Staff has confirmed that those who have previously used credit cards in the Town’s machines are at no risk of privacy or security issues.

• Are there other ways I can pay for parking in Town?

  Yes, coins will continue to be accepted through the existing parking machine, as well as credit card payments via the Honk Mobile app.

• How long until the public can expect to start paying with credit cards on the parking machines again?

  At this time, there is no specific timeline for when all existing machines will start to accept credit card payments again. In the meantime, the public is kindly asked to pay for parking via coin at the existing machines, with credit card at the four machines identified above, or by credit card through the Honk Mobile app.

• Who should I contact if I have further questions regarding the parking machines?

  Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jay Plato, Fire Chief and CEMC, at jay.plato@notl.com or Kyle Freeborn, Director of Corporate Services / Treasurer at kyle.freeborn@notl.com.

• How do Parking Enforcement Officers know I've paid by smartphone?

  The system provides Niagara-on-the-Lake Parking Enforcement Officers with a real-time list of license plates whose owners paid using the app. You don't need a ticket stub or receipt to place on the dashboard.

  Honk works with the municipality to ensure Parking Enforcement Officers have the most up-to-date information about the vehicles parked in Town spots, but mistakes can happen. If you receive a ticket you think is in error, email support@honkmobile.com. If your receipt shows you were compliant at the time of the infraction, Honk will have the ticket cancelled right away. You can also appeal the parking ticket by requesting a meeting with the Town’s Screening Officer by completing the Request for Screening Form. 

• Do I need a credit card to sign up?

  A payment method isn't required to download the app or to sign up for a Honk account. However, you'll need a valid VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Visa Debit, Masterpass or PayPal to pay for your parking session. You can add as many payment methods as you'd like.

• How long can I park for?

  Metered parking is enforced from 10 AM - 8 PM daily. Depending on the zone you are parked in, you can purchase up to 4 or 8 hours at one time.

• Can I be reminded that my parking is expiring?

  Yes. The Honk app will send you a text message 15 minutes before your parking is about to expire. If you're running late or need more time, you can easily extend your session right from your phone.

• How can I find out if my parking was processed?

  Once you've paid for parking, the Honk app will email you a receipt. You can also view all your transactions by visiting the Receipts page in your profile.

• What if I enter the wrong license plate?

  Mistakes happen. If you notice the error right away, please make another purchase (immediately so you don't get a parking ticket) with the correct license plate and email BOTH invoices to: support@honkmobile.com.

• I received a parking ticket after accidentally inputting the incorrect license plate number. What should I do?

  Mistakes happen. If you notice the error right away, please make another purchase (immediately so you don't get a parking ticket) with the correct license plate and email BOTH invoices to: support@honkmobile.com.