THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Parking Authority is looking for ways to deter loitering and vandalism in the Waterfront District Parkade.
However, it has nixed plans to try out a new anti-loitering, sound-emitting device for the parking structure on Court Street.
Members of the authority board were told at a meeting this spring that the device would be tried out in one of the stairwells because of "problems with individuals loitering and causing safety concerns as well as messes and vandalism."
The apparatus is said to emit a sound that is tolerable for a short period but eventually becomes so annoying that people are induced to leave an area.
TBPA supervisor Jonathan Paske now says "It turns out the device won't work as we want it to. It's very focused. It needs to be pointed right at a particular location, and we wanted to use it throughout the structure. That's not what it will do."
Paske said members of the public using the parkade have complained about people "hanging out," and there have been some incidents where vehicles have been damaged.
"We're trying to find ways of making people feel more comfortable while they use the parkade," he said.
The parking authority is now considering other options to improve security, including additional cameras or more patrols.
Noting that concerns about safety in the parkade have recently become more prevalent, Paske said "We're working with the users to come up with something that's both cost-effective and effective at making everyone feel safe."
Loitering is not as big an issue, he said, in the Victoriaville Parkade on the other side of town.
Paske believes one reason is that, unlike the Waterfront District Parkade, the south-side structure is not open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
