‘mind-blowing’: addition of parking meters frustrates n.d.g. merchants on sherbrooke st.

a few weeks after about 250 parking meters were installed along parts of sherbrooke st. in notre-dame-de-grâce, merchants remain concerned about the implications for their businesses.some say parking for themselves and their employees — as well as brief stops to load and unload merchandise — has become challenging, and they're still upset about the way the borough went about the process."it happened very quickly," said evelyn couture, one of the owners of the döghaus pet supply store. "i guess what i was most upset about is that the decision was made; they didn't consult anyone."

the borough of côte-des-neiges—notre-dame-de-grâce announced its plan to add 447 parking meters between grand blvd. and claremont ave. in march. it cited improving the availability of parking and supporting the economic vitality of sherbrooke st. as the reasons.following backlash from residents and merchants who argued the change would reduce parking options and ultimately hurt businesses, the borough scaled back the plan. it cancelled nearly 200 meters at the end of april and began installing the rest between wilson and claremont aves., including some cross streets east of décarie blvd., in mid-may. they became operational following a grace period.

couture said she has struggled to find free parking in the time since, pointing out there's often construction in the area."then they were discussing doing permit parking on the side streets, and i'm like, 'but are you really trying to close all the businesses down?'" she said. "their thought process that (meters are) going to be better for ... this main artery is, to me, mind-blowing."sonia park, who owns flower shop art et fleurs, said the meters complicate her ability to carry out deliveries and that many clients have complained about them already. but an upside is that they might discourage people from parking outside her shop all day. "that kind of thing is better," she said.franck ollivier, the owner of ophtalmo vétérinaire, has made his position clear through brightly coloured signs in the windows of his clinic and the flower boxes outside: "montrealers are not cash cows," "city of montreal = cash grab," "where is the dialogue?"like couture, ollivier said that if he'd known about the meters in advance, he might not have renewed his lease back in december. "they didn't tell us anything," he said in a phone interview from europe.the clinic — which specializes in ophthalmology — draws clients from as far as the united states and toronto, who travel by car with their ailing pets, ollivier explained."they are stressed; they park wherever they can," he said, adding that he has paid their fines in the past when they parked in the bus lane across the street.most of the clinic's employees are from outside n.d.g. as well and can't afford to pay for parking during their entire shifts, ollivier said. he described the parking meters as the subject of his latest fight with the city over restrictions of some form or another. "i think we are going to move," he said, expressing frustration over what he described as a lack of communication from the city when he pressed for more information. "that’s why i’m putting all those signs in front of the clinic — because i think we are done."asked about the criticism from merchants, snowdon city councillor sonny moroz said the past several months were spent meeting with residents and merchants because the borough knew the project would "generate strong opinions.""those conversations directly shaped the final project," he said in a statement. "we recognize that not everyone agrees with the final outcome, and we respect that." moroz added that the borough remains committed to working with those who have concerns."we believe in consultation, collaboration and finding practical compromises," he said.over at micro espresso café, an employee said she often hears frustrated customers talking about the meters. "we definitely hear people talking about it in the neighbourhood more than we’ve noticed any difference in customer traffic," daphne giannias said. "i think a café is different. i know the veterinarian is upset — if you’re bringing your pet somewhere, that’s a different story than just coming here on foot for a coffee."

employees at encore books and records were among those concerned about the change, particularly because people often park out front and pop in quickly to sell their books to the store. but it's too soon to say if business will be affected, vanessa gordon said. "people are still selling their books all the time," she said. "so they're probably just still pulling up, being surprised by the meters, probably paying them, which sucks." like ollivier, gordon described the installation of the meters as a cash grab. "n.d.g. was like a cool old stronghold that didn't have the meters," she said. "but nothing is sacred, so now there's meters everywhere."kthomas@postmedia.com