Vancouver Park Board will look at accessibility and affordability in its parking lots.
On Monday night, commissioners voted to direct staff to start work on a comprehensive parking policy “that seeks to address access and affordability concerns for residents.”
The motion, brought forward by NPA commissioner Casey Crawford and carried unanimously, suggests that possible options for the board could include a variety of parking passes, adding parking fees to the Leisure Access Program for low-income residents and reduced rates for a portion of an hourly parking fee.
Crawford proposed his motion as a substitution for one brought forward by Vision commissions Catherine Evans. Evans’ initial motion had directed staff to look at creating a program of flat-rate parking permits for Vancouver residents.
Parking fees has been an ongoing issue for the park board in recent months. Back in November commissioners approved a number of fee increases, including introducing a charge for parking at Spanish Banks.
Public response to the plan was largely negative. An online petition launched in February urging the park board to keep parking free at the beach garnered more than 11,000 signatures in two weeks.
Initially the board announced an amended plan that would have seen pay parking start on the May long weekend, instead of April 1 but on March 28 announced that the plan is on hold.
“After a thorough review the Park Board has decided it will not introduce seasonal pay parking at Spanish Banks this summer,” the board said in a new release. “Staff have advised that for this year, the revenue from Spanish Banks parking is not required to balance the budget, so plans for the introduction of pay parking in four Spanish Banks lots are currently on hold.”
More than 40 per cent of the park board’s operating budget is funded by revenue from fees and charges.
“Pay parking is a critical source of revenue for the Park Board, providing funding for necessary enhancements to the safety, security and cleanliness of our parks,” staff said in the initial report in November.
