Touch-free parking coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake Heritage District

To a tourist town such as Niagara-on-the-Lake, making things are easy as possible for visitors is always Job #1.

To that end, the Town recently partnered with a company called HONK to create contactless payment in municipal and street parking spaces in their Heritage District.

Starting Monday, July 5, all drivers will have two touch-free ways to pay for parking. They can either download the QR code on their phones through HonkTAP or download the free Honk app from the App Store or Google Play. HonkTAP smart stations will then allow drivers to pay for parking with a quick scan of their phones.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Mayor Betty Disero lauded the convenience for the town’s tourists, saying, “With many visitors coming to the region every year, this payment option gives drivers a safe and easy way to pay for parking that doesn’t require any app download or account setup. It’s the ideal parking experience for our residents and weekend visitors.”

To any leery of adding more apps to their phone, especially ones with which they may not be familiar, Town CAO Marnie Cluckie said don’t panic

“Metered parking machines will continue to be available during the 2021 season, providing motorists with the option of paying for parking via the standard format provided through a nearby parking meter.”

In this digital age, she continued, the Town wants to keep up with technology.

“The Town of Niagara-on-the Lake is committed to modernizing and digitizing services to serve our community better. We are excited to launch this new contact-free option for paid parking in our Heritage District.”

According to the company, HONK is used by “millions of drivers and is accepted at over 3,000 locations across the United States and Canada.”