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The Mayor is insisting that the parking meters pilot project is going as well as planned.
Back in April they launched the program with the intent to improve parking in the most congested areas of Belize City. Parking Meters were installed on Albert Street from its intersection with Orange Street, all the way to the Dean Street intersection. Parking meters were also installed on Newtown Barracks, from the exit of The Princess Casino, to Midtown Restaurant.

You'll remember how motorists immediately abandoned Albert Street because of the new parking fare, but recently, we've seen a lot more engagement with the new system. Here's how the Mayor made the point that the project is going well:

Bernard Wagner - Belize City Mayor
"The pilot project, the first quarter, has been completed. We have a one-year program. We receive some of the data. We have over 700 hours of usage on the Albert Street side, and that is about half, on Princess Margaret by the Digi Park. But we are very comfortable with the usage. We have to tweak the New Town Barracks area, obviously, to facilitate some of the vendors, those people that want to do business or conduct short-term business with those vendors. So, we are putting in place a plan to put aside a stop zone for picking up food and that sort of thing for those vendors at Digi Park. But, the Belize City Albert Street area is working pretty well. People are adapting to it. We see less congestion. You see a more orderly Albert Street. And that is the key thing here, though, is that the space is more equitably serving all the residents of the city."

Channel 7

Parking Meters Not Really Performing

The mayor was asked about the parking meters on Albert Street and near BTL Park. The pilot project was for a year, and so far, Mayor Wagner says they haven't been making a lot of revenue off of it. However, he says it's still a win for them since there is now equity with parking spaces.

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
"It's been going pretty well - not in terms of revenues, but in terms of equity in the parking spaces. While we are not looking at the revenue, it has really smoothened out and residents travelling in the Digi Park area and downtown Belize City now have equal opportunity to enjoy that space where before, it was only the taxi men who were enjoying that space. And if everything is thrown aside and the only thing we come back out with parking meters is having the opportunity to spread the equity in terms of the space, we would have won."

Reporter
"Sir, can you give more or less how much revenue has been generated from it?"

Bernard Wagner
"I believe the last time we had spoken about it, it is minimal. It's not something to talk about. We did our early estimates annually on it, our projections, but we had to redo those projections because we are looking at something like thirty-five thousand a year on it based on where it is going right now. So we had to really revamp those figures to have it reflect the on-the-ground results."

Reporter
"Expansion possibly?"

Bernard Wagner
"Well this pilot project is for a year. After the year is finished, we will assess it and we will identify and see if we can begin to really get some of those other spaces around the city that is city owned and have those spaces be shared equitably with all the residents."

Channel 7