Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce has launched a downtown parking survey (Vernon)

The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce wants to know what people think about parking in the city's downtown core. The chamber has launched an online survey to gather information from businesses about available parking. “We need your input, we've got 10 questions for you about parking in the downtown core in light of comments we're getting about it affecting your businesses,” the chamber said. “The city put out a downtown parking guide, and seem to feel these solutions are adequate, and we'd like to know if it makes sense for you and your staff, either as a downtown business, or a patron." “With construction now underway on the new Cultural Centre, we’ve lost the downtown parking lot that offered 112 long-term stalls. Since that lot closed, we’ve heard from several members that it’s become harder for staff and customers to find parking longer than two hours.” An additional 10 parking spots are being lost near the construction site for a total of 122 fewer parking stalls. The chamber said the goal of the survey is to better understand how this change is affecting businesses and whether proposed alternatives — including the library lot, the parkade, and the city hall lot — are adequate. Concerns over downtown parking have been raised for years with some businesses saying more needs to be done to address the issue. To access the chamber survey, click here.