Vancouver advised to revoke free parking for veterans

`INCENTIVIZE DRIVING'

Vancouver city staff say that in the lead up to Remembrance Day, veterans should not get free parking in the city, and parking privileges already given to them should be revoked because these perks “incentivizes driving,” and are “in direct opposition to our climate-change and transportation policies.”

“Providing free parking provisions to certain subsets of the population does not align with current transportation and equity objectives, has financial impacts, and is inconsistent with policies of other large urban centres,” says the report, dated Oct. 15.

Vancouver has a nearly 15-year history of allowing veterans to park for free at various times. In October 2007, city council decided to allow veterans free on-street parking during the week leading up to Remembrance Day.

Last year, Coun. Melissa De Genova put forward a motion to study whether or not veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces should get free parking at city meters and lots, and if there should be free parking for them at various city facilities. Council supported the motion. (De Genova did not respond to a request for comment by press time.)

The reasons for the motion were “to recognize the service and dedication of Canadian military personnel to our country,” the city report says.

The report concluded the city should not expand or even retain parking privileges.

It says free parking does little to help the veterans who do not use cars to get around.

It also says that the transportation priorities of the city are “walking, cycling, transit and shared vehicles over the use of private automobiles.”

The report estimates that expanding the free-parking policy would see the city lose out on $2 million in revenue annually.

As well, the report argues there's a slippery slope to giving special privileges to certain citizens, and that council might then face pressure to extend these privileges to others, such as firefighters, police, health-care

DISAPPOINTED THE CITY WOULD TAKE AWAY ANYTHING FROM VETERANS.

workers and teachers.

But the report does say there could be other options for council to explore, such as providing veterans with free parking on momentous dates, June 6, for example, the anniversary of the D-Day landing. Another option was to devise a limited free parking system for low-income veterans or current serving members of the Canadian Forces. A third option was to provide free on-street parking until the end of 2020, and then study the matter as part of the 2021 budget. So put it in park, so to speak.

Although their parking privileges are still in place for now, veterans have expressed dismay.

“We are quite disappointed that the City of Vancouver would take away anything from veterans,” Bob Underhill, the vice-president of the B.C./Yukon Command of the Legion, and an RCMP veteran, said in a statement.