In light of extensive feedback from the public, including an online petition that has garnered more than 10,000 signatures, Vancouver Park Board is modifying its plan to charge for parking at Spanish Banks.
The amended plan will see pay parking start on the May long weekend, instead of April 1, and end on Labour Day. Additionally, parking will remain free between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. year round.
In November, park board commissioners approved a number of fee increases, including introducing a charge for parking at Spanish Banks. Commissioner Erin Shum voted against the proposal.
“It shouldn’t take more than 10,000 signatures on a petition to do the right thing, but this is great news,” Shum said in an email following the announcement. “The Park Board must respect the people who pay taxes and fees with their hard-earned dollars.”
Response to the plan was largely negative and an online petition started two weeks ago urging the park board to keep parking free at the beach had almost 11,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
David Fine, a local filmmaker and activist, started the petition after seeing the story and comments posted on social media. Many were urging someone to start a petition, so he did.
“Charging for parking at Spanish Banks is the wrong way to compensate for lack of funding and people are very unhappy about this move because it makes a free day out at our beautiful beach cost which will cause some people to either go less or to limit their time there,” Fine said.
“In one sense, it’s fantastic that the petition has motivated a review,” Fine said in an email following the board’s announcement, “but at the same time, it amounts to knocking six weeks off, but there are still 3.5 months of peak season being charged.”
As originally planned, Fine submitted the petition to the park board late Monday afternoon.
“I trust you have read some of the comments which express frustration about yet another cost for something which has always been free,” his letter states. “And not an insignificant cost. A visit of just two hours and 10 minutes will cost a visitor $10.50. This amounts to a user fee because, for most, the only way to visit is by car… That’s why, while I fully appreciate the gesture, I need to ask that you revisit this matter further and reconsider the installation of parking meters in any form.”
While the amended plan still means beach users will have to pay, in announcing the changes the board said the new, later start date “aligns with season public transit service (42 Alma/Spanish Banks) and supports transit options during busiest beach times.”
The board also plans to increase promotion of the $87 peak season pass, which works out to about $.80 a day based on a three-and-a-half month peak period, providing frequent users “considerable savings over regular parking rates” of $3.50 an hour or $13 a day.
“During this first year of peak season pay parking at Spanish Banks, staff will monitor the effectiveness of these measures, along with overall impacts on both park usage and the surrounding neighbourhood, to help inform recommendations moving forward,” the board said in a statement.
At the meeting in November, staff told commissioners that the board will be working with transit providers, as well as car and bike share companies to ensure there are alternative forms of transportation available to the public.
“More than 40 per cent of the Park Board’s operating budget is funded by fees and charges,” the statement reads. “Pay parking is a critical source of revenue, providing funding for maintenance, security, and cleanliness of all our parks and facilities.”
@JessicaEKerr
jkerr@vancourier.com
