West End Parking Strategy

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits
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Recommendation

Adjust the permit price to market-based rates, with these conditions:

Renewing permit holders and future low-income households continue to pay current rates
New permit holders would pay a market-based rate – $30/month or $360/year
Any increase in revenue from permit sales would be reinvested in the West End to help deliver community-identified needs

What changed?

In response to affordability concerns, we reduced the recommended new monthly rate from $50 to $30.
The initial recommendation was based on existing off-street parking prices, whereas the new rate reflects more detailed modelling of the value of on-street parking compared to off-street spaces.
We added a provision to allow low-income households to pay the same permit rate as existing permit holders. To be eligible for the non-market rate after September 1, 2017, households need to be registered in the Vancouver Park Board Leisure Access Program or provide the required documents to apply in person.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make parking easier and reduce congestion

By charging a market rate for permits, more people will choose to park in their buildings. This will free up street space for people who need it, making parking easier and reducing traffic caused by driving in circles looking for parking.

It addresses concerns about affordability

Existing permit holders would pay the same rate as before, so there is no risk of pricing existing residents out of the neighbourhood.

It generates revenue to improve the community

Any increase in revenue from permit sales will be used to help pay for amenities in the West End.

Background

Before September 1, 2017, on-street permits were much cheaper than off-street parking.

	Monthly cost
On-street permit before September 1, 2017	$6
Off-street parking	usually over $50

As a result, many people were choosing to park in the street, even if they could park in their building. Some buildings have over 100 empty spaces.

Overall, there are about 1.5 residential spaces for every car registered in the neighbourhood.

What we heard in summer 2016

We recommended to charge a $50/month permit rate, keep existing permit holders on their same rate, and give revenue back to the community.

Visitors and residents without a car supported the recommendation, while residents who have a car (both permit holders and non-permit holders) didn't.

Support for increasing permit prices as proposed in summer 2016 public consultation

What we heard in fall 2015

Visitors, residents who have a car but no permit (who represent 34% of households), and residents without a car (who represent 46% of households) support increasing permit prices.

Residents who have a permit (who represent 20% of households) did not support increased prices.

Support for increasing permit prices

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2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates
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Recommendation

Let existing permit holders who purchased their 2017 or 2018 permit before September 1, 2017, renew at the non-market rate.

Why we think this is a good idea

It addresses concerns about affordability

With existing permit holders paying the same rate as before, there is no risk of pricing existing residents out of the neighbourhood.

It will make the transition to market-based permit prices easier (see Recommendation #1)

Permit price increases are supported by all groups except permit holders (20% of West End households). Since most permit holders choose not to renew their permits over time, most permits will be sold at the new rate within 5 years.

Background

There is high permit turnover in the West End. Of the approximately 20% of West End households that have parking permits, many choose not to renew their permits. After about 5 years, only about 1 in 5 original permit holders remain.

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3. Create a parking benefit district
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Recommendation

Report back to City Council on the possibility of doing a participatory-budgeting trial.

Find out about participatory budgeting in the West End

What changed?

We clarified that the community will help decide how to spend any new permit revenue through participatory budgeting (a democratic process requiring we work with community members that's been used successfully around the world).

In December 2017, City Council approved the framework for a pilot participatory budget process used to spend any incremental permit revenue from market rate permit sales. The revenue will be re-invested in the West End to help deliver community-identified needs.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will help improve the West End

Revenue will be used to help deliver amenities identified by the community.

What we heard in fall 2015

This is a new idea from people who filled out the survey.

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4. Divide the permit zone
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Recommendation

Divide the West End permit area into three smaller zones with Denman and Davie streets as new dividing lines.

Permit zone boundaries won't be changed in 2017. We'll monitor the strategy's effectiveness and make zone changes in the future.

What changed?

Throughout the West End Strategy process, we heard that many people with limited mobility rely on the larger permit zone to park at destinations away from their home for medical visits and so on.
We added detail about the SPARC Parking Permit Program for People with Disabilities that is free and allows qualified people to park:
- In all resident parking permit zones for up to 3 hours
- In no-parking zones for up to 30 minutes to load and unload

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make finding parking easier

Three smaller zones will make it easier to find a parking space closer to home because residents will only use the zone where they live. The West End permit zone is the largest in the city. Many people park in destinations far from home and, as a result, make it more difficult for people living near those destinations to park.

Dividing the zone along the major streets Denman and Davie makes the new zones easy to understand and enforce.

What we heard in fall 2015

Visitors, residents who have a car but no permit (who represent 34% of households), and residents without a car (who represent 46% of households) support smaller permit zones.

Residents who have a permit (who represent 20% of households) don’t support smaller zones.

Support for dividing the permit zone

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5. Unlock unused parking
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Recommendation

Enable buildings with excess parking to rent spaces to other West End residents. To do this, we would:

Update zoning and bylaws
Explore ways to help building managers make sharing easier and address security (like with third-party apps and security audits)
Ensure parking in future development is designed to be shareable

What changed?

We clarified that ensuring building security is a high priority and that any program would be voluntary.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will free up space on the street and make better use of existing resources

Some buildings have 100 or more empty parking spaces, sometimes next to buildings where parking is nearly full.

Allowing neighbours to use these unused spaces will free up space on the street.

Measures can be put in place to minimize security issues (like adding security gates, or focusing on unused spaces in surface lots).

PLENTY OF PARKING SPACES

residential spaces for every West End car

Background

There are more residential spaces than cars in the neighbourhood (about 1.5 residential parking spaces for every car registered in the West End permit area).

Some buildings have over 100 unused parking spaces, sometimes next to buildings where parking is nearly full.

What we heard in fall 2015

All groups support allowing people to park in neighbouring buildings with lots of unused parking.

Support for parking in buildings with unused parking

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6. Improve parking enforcement
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Recommendations

Improve parking enforcement with new technology like cameras on City vehicles that automatically scan licence plates.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make finding parking easier

Fewer cars will park illegally and there will be less demand for parking.

It makes it easier for people to drive less and own fewer cars

Bike- and car-sharing give people more transportation options.

Background

The West End has the lowest car ownership in Vancouver (about 50% of households have access to a private car).

What we heard in fall 2015

This is a new idea from people who filled out the survey.

Car ownership in the West End

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

Allow visitors and service providers to park in residential spaces for a fee when it's less busy during off-peak periods.

Why we think this is a good idea

It uses spaces when residents are out

Most residents work during the day so more spaces are available.

Background

Parking can be extremely difficult for visitors. It can take visitors about 10 minutes and almost 3 km of extra driving to find parking during busy periods.

VERY LITTLE VISITOR PARKING

on-street spaces for every 100 households in the West End

What we heard in fall 2015

All groups support allowing visitors to park in resident permit spaces during less busy off-peak periods.

Support for parking in buildings with unused parking

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8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces
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Recommendation

Meter some existing visitor parking. Offer lower rates and extended hours to visitors that residents verify.

New pay stations have now been installed for some of the visitor parking spaces.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will help ensure some visitor spaces are always available

Metering spaces will increase turnover.

Background

Unmetered spaces are more likely to always be full. Metering parking encourages people to only use parking when they need it.

What we heard in fall 2015

There was a slight preference to metering some visitor spaces instead of metering all visitor spaces.

This idea comes from the West End Community Plan.

Parking meter and mobile app

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9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking
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Recommendation

Convert some residential parking to visitor parking – after other actions reduce demand for on-street residential spaces.

Why we think this is a good idea

It will help visitors find on-street parking faster

Background

Parking is more difficult for visitors than for residents. There is very little on-street visitor parking in the West End – fewer than 2 spaces for every 100 households.

As a result, it can take visitors about 10 minutes and almost 3 km of extra driving to find parking during busy periods.

VERY LITTLE VISITOR PARKING

on-street spaces for every 100 households in the West End

What we heard in fall 2015

Visitors, residents who have a car but no permit (who represent 34% of households), and residents without a car (who represent 46% of households) support converting some residential parking.

Residents who have a permit (who represent 20% of households) don’t support converting some residential parking.

Support for converting some residential spaces to visitor parking

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West End Parking Strategy

We are working to make parking in the West End easier

West End rates

Actions we're taking to improve parking

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits PREV NEXT

Recommendation

What changed?

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make parking easier and reduce congestion

It addresses concerns about affordability

It generates revenue to improve the community

Background

What we heard in summer 2016

What we heard in fall 2015

2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates

2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates

2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates PREV NEXT

Recommendation

Why we think this is a good idea

It addresses concerns about affordability

It will make the transition to market-based permit prices easier (see Recommendation #1)

3. Create a parking benefit district

3. Create a parking benefit district

3. Create a parking benefit district PREV NEXT

Recommendation

What changed?

Why we think this is a good idea

​It will help improve the West End

What we heard in fall 2015

4. Divide the permit zone

4. Divide the permit zone

4. Divide the permit zone PREV NEXT

Recommendation

What changed?

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make finding parking easier

What we heard in fall 2015

5. Unlock unused parking

5. Unlock unused parking

5. Unlock unused parking PREV NEXT

Recommendation

What changed?

Why we think this is a good idea

It will free up space on the street and make better use of existing resources

Background

What we heard in fall 2015

6. Improve parking enforcement

6. Improve parking enforcement

6. Improve parking enforcement PREV NEXT

Recommendations

Why we think this is a good idea

It will make finding parking easier

It makes it easier for people to drive less and own fewer cars

Background

What we heard in fall 2015

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

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

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

Recommendation

Why we think this is a good idea

It uses spaces when residents are out

Background

What we heard in fall 2015

8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces

8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces

8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces PREV NEXT

Recommendation

Why we think this is a good idea

It will help ensure some visitor spaces are always available

Background

What we heard in fall 2015

9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking

9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking

9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking PREV NEXT

Recommendation

Why we think this is a good idea

It will help visitors find on-street parking faster

Background

1. Charge market-based rates for new parking permits
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2. Keep existing permit holders on the same rates
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3. Create a parking benefit district
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It will help improve the West End

4. Divide the permit zone
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5. Unlock unused parking
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6. Improve parking enforcement
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7. Let visitors park in residential spaces when it’s less busy
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8. Add parking meters to some visitor parking spaces
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9. Convert some residential parking to visitor parking
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