Downtown London, Ont., businesses are grumbling as continual building, limited parking, and ticketing issues present challenges to shoppers and employees alike.
Jill’s Place,
a small restaurant just a block or so from Canada Life Place has endured decades of upheaval , but as a manager, times are becoming difficult, even on show nights when the parking lot is filled to the brim. “We’ve been open 31 years, and I’ve been here 22 years,” she said. “I think a lot of people have an harder time getting tickets. This is the feedback I get.”
Event nights, whether concerts or hockey events, do bring in more traffic, she admits “We do generate more business” but that’s normally offset by logistical inconveniences. “The whole thing of it is, you know, they raised event parking, generally,” she said. “Any concert at night, you just got to swim through people to walk down the road.”
Central London has experienced widespread development as part of core city infrastructure renewal. Developments like the Downtown Loop and the East London Link have interfered with local business access, with some stores seeing a sharp decline in customer visits. Business owners previously reported they’re seeing “three times fewer customers” due to obstructions by construction and poor signage.
Adding to the aggravation is that numerous complain charging more private lot fees up to $5 for 15 minutes in certain cases is deterring possible tourists. To respond, the city has resumed a 1-hour free on-street parking program downtown, but some say it must do more. With London preparing to host more events and expansion in the years ahead, small business owners need answers and support not just more traffic.
