In a city where all-day parking in downtown can cost the same as a steak dinner, some relief -- albeit a temporary one.

Free parking.

The city yanked out parking meters along Granville Street earlier this year as part of a massive rehabilitation of the corridor.

As sections of the corridor have re-opened to traffic, motorists have come to discover that street parking is free.

Until pay-parking machines are installed, motorists can take advantage of coin- and credit card-free parking along a four-block stretch of Granville Street, from Drake to Smithe streets.

"Very grateful!" beamed Michael Russell, a paint foreman who is working on a building renovation on Granville Street.

He says he and his colleagues have been saving $7 a day on parking this summer.

However, Bob Fawdry, the superintendent on the project, says downtown workers looking to take advantage of the free parking would be wise to get there early.

"Spots won't stay empty very long," he said.

Unless you're Jay Baszucki.

During the lunch hour Tuesday afternoon, the Vancouver resident managed to pull his van into a free spot just as a Mercedes was pulling away.

"I got lucky!" he said, adding that he definitely plans on taking advantage of the perk "while it's here."

He raises an important point. It won't last forever.

City officials say they plan to have pay-parking machines installed along the Granville corridor by the end of November.

"It's a very limited window" to enjoy free parking, said Wali Memon, city parking policy and development manager, adding that the city could decide to install interim pay-parking measures.

Memon said 95 percent of the parking spots in downtown are regulated in some way. "It is an anomaly," he said of the current free parking situation along Granville.

Some business owners say it would help if the city posted more signs to make it clear to drivers where they can park and for how long.

They said they have had customers come in and ask if it's OK to park.

Even when they're told 'yes,' some don't take the chance.

A stroll down Granville on Tuesday revealed inconsistent signage.

On one block, signs posted on the eastern side of the street said cars can park for a maximum of two hours. But the other side of the street had no signs.

Edith Miren, the front desk clerk at the Granville Grand Hotel, said two of her guests had their cars towed Tuesday morning not realizing they had exceeded the two-hour limit, she said.

"Some people are lucky. Some people are not," she said.