More than half of Edmonton residents say the city should provide free parking on Rogers Place event nights, a new poll shows.



The Mainstreet-Postmedia survey indicates 53 per cent of respondents don't think the city should charge for parking on the evenings when there are events at the new arena, while nine per cent feel it should impose a fee and 38 per cent aren't sure.

Almost three-quarters of the men who took part in the Sept. 6 telephone poll supported free parking. Three per cent of the male respondents disagreed with the idea, and 25 per cent didn't know.



On the other hand, slightly more than one-third of the women among the 817 adult Edmonton residents polled wanted no parking charge, 15 per cent felt a fee was OK, and almost half hadn't made up their minds.

The results probably don't mean the public is up in arms over the issue, says Mainstreet Research president Quito Maggi.



"Whenever we ask people if they're willing to pay for something, no matter what the subject is, the numbers always come in abysmally low. Of course people don't want to pay for parking … . It's human nature."



The city has more than 2,500 stalls in four downtown parkades. It doubled the evening flat rate to $10 at the library and Canada Place facilities on Sept. 1, while on event nights the hourly charge at City Hall doubles to $4 from $2.



A $20 special event rate has been introduced at the City Centre West Parkade, managed for the city by Advanced Parking Systems Ltd.



The charge on other nights rises Monday to $5 from $3, while street parking within about a 10-minute walk of Rogers Place will be $3.50 an hour until 10 p.m. during games and shows.



The extra money is helping fund the city's $313-million contribution toward the $614-million cost of the arena, the Winter Garden, the community rink, land, a pedestrian corridor and an LRT link.



Maggi cautioned that research has shown there's a point at which raising parking fees leads to more complaints to elected officials without boosting transit ridership, cycling or other transportation options.



Another survey question found that respondents are generally unhappy with the transportation planning at Rogers Place.



About 40 per cent didn't agree that the city has made adequate provisions for parking and transit for the new arena, compared to 21 per cent who felt provisions were adequate and 38 per cent who didn't know.



The biggest difference of opinion was between genders rather than age groups.



Half the men indicated they didn't think provisions for parking and transit were adequate, 24 per cent said they were, and 26 per cent didn't know.



By comparison, one-third of the women felt the parking and transit provisions were inadequate, 18 per cent felt they were, and almost half didn't know.



These figures likely reflect cynicism about government, the congestion and traffic concerns of central residents or suburbanites unhappy with going to a downtown arena, Maggi says.

Opinions will likely change once Rogers Place has been open for a while, he says.



The survey has a 3.4-per-cent margin of error, 19 times out of 20.



gkent@postmedia.com



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