City promises stronger parking enforcement for neighbourhoods near Heritage Festival

The city councillor for neighbourhoods south of the Edmonton Exhibition Grounds says residents can expect a stronger parking enforcement presence this long weekend for Edmonton's largest outdoor festival.

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Coun. Ashley Salvador, who represents the neighbourhoods of Virginia Park and Cromdale as part of Ward Metis, told CTV News Edmonton vehicles that are not supposed to be parked in the area "will be dealt with appropriately" during the Edmonton Heritage Festival, the annual cultural event that runs Saturday through Monday and which attracted 330,000 people last year.

Salvador said 'No parking' signs will be erected in the neighbourhoods south of 112 Avenue on Friday and that bylaw enforcement will patrol the community over the "entire event."

"Parking enforcement teams will have dedicated officers who are actively patrolling the area issuing tickets for parking infractions, so there's going to be a greater presence in the community," Salvador told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

Residents in the area said that last year, they noticed little, if any, parking enforcement despite signs erected by the city warning rogue parkers of ticketing and towing consequences.

Diene Olsen-Fedunec called it a "horrendous parking situation," describing her neighbourhood's streets and back lanes filled with vehicles flouting the rules a year ago.

"Not one parking patrol person was out here for the entire weekend," Olsen-Fedunec told CTV News Edmonton, adding she plans to leave the area this coming weekend.

"It's bumper to bumper. A lot of our residents don't have rear parking, so they're held hostage in their homes because if they leave the front street (and) move their vehicles, they'll never be able to park again until after the festival is over."

It's Year 2 for the exhibition grounds playing host to the festival. The city is in the midst of facilitating extensive rehabilitation work to its usual home, the river valley's William Hawrelak Park. The Heritage Festival is slated to return there in 2026.

Salvador said this year, "based on the learnings of last year, we'll see a smoother process" for parking enforcement in areas around the exhibition grounds.

"(The Heritage Festival) is an awesome time, but of course that does have implications locally for additional traffic and pressures," she said.

"When it comes to the city's approach, we want to try to mitigate a lot of those frustrations as best as we can."

Transportation options

Festival goers are encouraged to use transit to get to the exhibition grounds.

• The Capital Line LRT, which runs to the nearby Coliseum Station, will see increased service over the weekend, allowing riders to access it from the 29 stations that make up the overall light-rail network. Park and Ride lots from nearby Belvedere and Clareview stations are options.
• Bus routes 8 and 53, which run to the Coliseum Transit Centre, will have extended service hours during the festival.
• Park and Ride bus service from Eaux Claires Transit Centre, Lewis Farms Transit Centre and St. Albert's Naki Transit Centre. Regular fares apply for all transit services.

Besides transit ...

• Paid parking is available at the Edmonton Expo Centre lot via the entrance at Wayne Gretzky Drive and 116 Avenue.
• Passenger and taxi drop-off is available in the Expo Centre lot.
• Free bike racks will be available across the festival grounds.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti