Companies operating horse-drawn carriage tours will retain their dedicated parking spots on Menzies Street until at least the end of 2030.
Victoria council on Thursday voted to renew the licences, which are normally renewed every four years, and have extended the duration of the agreement to six years.
Council also agreed to hand the renewal decision to city staff in the future rather than having the request come to council.
The three firms that operate the tours and have exclusive use of the parking stands at the corner of Menzies and Belleville streets — Capital City Tally-Ho and Sightseeing Company, Victoria Single Horse Drawn Carriage Tours and Black Beauty Line — will now pay a monthly fee of $1,340.24 for each of the three parking stalls.
At one point, Coun. Matt Dell tried to convince his colleagues to extend the agreements on the parking spots until 2034, though he said the monthly rate would change as required.
Dell said that would give the operators more stability.
Council instead opted to extend the agreements for just six years.
Victoria has provided three parking stands for horse-drawn carriages for years, and the spots are designated for horse-drawn vehicles only.
Capital City Tally-Ho, Victoria Single Horse Drawn Carriage Tours and Black Beauty Line hold all 18 horse-drawn carriage licences under the city’s Vehicles for Hire Bylaw.
