West End Parking Strategy

West End Parking Strategy

We are working to make parking in the West End easier

It's hard to find parking in the West End resident parking permit zone whether you live there or visit someone who does. To find parking during busy periods, it takes:

  • Residents about 5 minutes and over 1 km of extra driving
  • Visitors about 10 minutes and almost 3 km of extra driving

Our goal is to make it easier to find parking in the West End permit zone without encouraging more driving overall.

The strategy responds to community-identified concerns and supports actions in the Transportation 2040 Plan and West End Community Plan.

West End rates

West End permits are available at market rate. Long term residents or limited income households may be eligible to apply at the non-market rate.

Actions we're taking to improve parking

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits

2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates

3. Create a parking benefit district

4. Divide the permit zone

5. Unlock unused parking

6. Improve parking enforcement

7. Let visitors park in residential spaces when it’s less busy

8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces

9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking

Timeline

Here is our process and anticipated milestones to create and deliver the strategy.

  • 2015-2016

    Community engagement

  • Feb 2017

    City Council approves the Strategy

  • June 2017

    Some visitor parking converted to pay parking

  • Sept 1, 2017

    Market-based permit prices begin

  • Dec 2017

    Council approves the framework for a West End Pilot Participatory Budgeting process

  • Sep 2017 - 2018

    Data collection to inform visitor and permit parking space conversions

  • Feb 2019

    Staff update of the participatory budgeting process to Council

  • March 2019

    Council approves by-law changes for long term resident allowance

  • April 2020

    Monitoring phase

Past updates

September 1, 2017

West End permit fees increased on September 1, 2017. Permit prices increased to the market rate of $360 per year. The non-market rate is available to residents who purchased their 2017 or 2018 permit before September 1, 2017 and to residents in low-income households. Learn more about the non-market rate.

Any incremental increase in revenue from market rate permit sales will be re-invested in the West End to help deliver community-identified needs.​

February 2017

We revised our recommendations based on what we heard in Phase 2. Key updates included:

  • Reduce the proposed new permit rate from $50 to $30 per month. Let renewing permit holders keep existing rates.
  • Explain how residents can help decide how to spend new permit revenues.
  • Provide details on parking options for people with limited mobility.
  • Offer a reduced permit cost for low-income households to the West End.

City Council approved the recommendations.

July – August 2016

We created draft recommendations based on what we heard in Phase 1 and asked for your feedback at two open houses and in an online questionnaire.

Read our Phase 2 public consultation summary PDF file (500 KB)

November – December 2015

We surveyed and engaged over 4,000 West End residents to:

  • Better understand parking issues
  • Test support for various tools that could improve parking
  • Share ideas

Read our Phase 1 public consultation summary PDF file (1.1 MB)

Contact information, partner agencies, and website policies