Free parking at meters in Vancouver is coming to an end.
Vancouver city manager Sadhu Johnston announced at a council meeting Tuesday that the city will move this week to reinstate parking enforcement across all neighbourhoods.
But Johnston warned council that reinstating paid parking, which amounts to about five per cent of the city’s revenues, will not bring in the money it did before the pandemic was declared in March.
“People have still been paying during this period, but we are seeing 80 to 90 per cent less vehicles being parked,” he said, noting the city wouldn’t be ramping up full enforcement of parking because of the vacant spots.
Some of the 1,800 union staff laid off by the city are parking enforcement officers, but Johnston told council he didn’t agree with a motion from Coun. Melissa De Genova to fully step up enforcement.
“Because that would be a lot of staff that don’t have very many cars to enforce upon,” he said.
Johnston said city staff is exploring ways, particularly around hospitals, where it can accommodate health-care workers who need to park. That work was supported by council’s recommendation to staff Tuesday to allow parking exemptions for health care and essential service workers during the pandemic.
Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said she supported the move to reinstate enforcement of parking across Vancouver because it is the third highest revenue source for the city, behind property taxes and development and licence fees.
“It doesn’t seem smart to forgo the revenue on this,” Kirby-Yung said. “The intent behind it in the immediate 10 days when the city emergency was declared at the end of March was a humanitarian aspect, in terms of supporting health workers. What we found, actually, was the honour system didn’t work.”
Kirby-Yung said she heard from residents that people were not moving their vehicles from parking spots around the city.
“I don’t get the sense that it’s turning over, certainly not from the emails I’m receiving,” she said.
The city suspended parking enforcement March 30 of parking meters, rush-hour zones, residential permit-parking zones and parking time limits, including three-hour parking restrictions.
The city said at the time the move was designed to help essential workers and frontline staff find free parking during the pandemic. The city recommended residents with off-street parking options to use it.
The move, however, did not exclude enforcement of parking in spots designated for people with disabilities, loading zones and safety violations such as parking too close to a crosswalk.
Two weeks ago, the gradual return of enforcement began with the city announcing the resumption of enforcement of permit and residential parking zones in Kitsilano and Point Grey.
The city also resumed enforcement of permit parking zones in the West End.
@Howellings
