LIONS BAY SEEKS PARKING RELIEF
Mayor says ‘on a good day it’s a zoo’
Lions Bay is a small village with a big parking problem.
That’s why the municipality, which straddles the Sea-to-Sky Highway about 13 kilometres north of West Vancouver, is soliciting proposals for a pay parking pilot project at three of the most popular areas for summer visitors.
“Social media has led to any number of places that were only known to the locals to be discovered,” said Lions Bay Mayor Karl Buhr. “On a good day, it’s a zoo.”
Currently, the only pay parking in the village is at the privately operated marina and at the CN railway lot near Lions Bay Beach Park, which the village leases from CN.
The pilot project, which would run from June 24 until Sept. 4, would involve three areas that have a total of about 67 parking stalls: The CN lot (25 stalls), Kelvin Grove Beach Park (27) and Sunset Drive trailhead (15).
The goal, Buhr said, is to improve the current parking lots so there are more stalls available for visitors, and control where people park and how long they stay. Having visitors pay for parking will hopefully fund the improvements and maintain the areas around the lots.
“I’d love to offer everything for free, but it’s just not feasible,” said Buhr.
The idea is to charge for parking only in June, July and August, when the number of visitors spikes. Buhr said charging during the off-season would be “a money grab.”
A parking rate has not yet been determined, but residents will be able to park for free with special passes.
In January 2016, 289 residents completed a parking survey and many of the comments suggested increasing non-resident parking so the village would seem hospitable, but also controlling the parking in busy areas by implementing payment and making lots and signage more organized. More than half of respondents said they were opposed to year-round metered parking.
“One of the core messages that we got out of that was to be more welcoming to visitors,” Buhr said. “It’s to try and do that in a way that doesn’t cost the taxpayers excessive amounts of money.”
The request for proposals asks for vendors who are interested
in providing the metered parking trial for free.
Buhr said he has not received any negative feedback from residents or businesses.
“Hand on heart this is not a money grab — it’s a control thing,” Buhr said.
Lions Bay is not the only community trying to manage seasonal parking demands.
South Surrey’s Crescent Beach is slammed by visitors during the summer months, but according to the city there is no pay parking on the streets or at Blackie Spit Park, and no plans to implement pay parking.
There has been talk in Port Moody for years about requiring visitors to Rocky Point Park to pay for their parking. The idea was first broached in 2013 and the following summer council floated the idea of implementing a trial pay parking program that would charge non-residents $1 per hour up to a maximum of four hours. Port Moody residents would park for free. However, there was public outcry and the idea was not implemented.
White Rock’s parking woes are relatively well known. Along the Marine Drive waterfront area, the city charges $3 per hour from May 1 to Oct. 31 and $1.50 per hour the rest of the year. Residents with a decal can park free for up to four hours. Pay parking is in effect from 10 a.m. until midnight.
Visitors complain about the cost of parking — particularly in the winter — and businesses have blamed pay parking for helping make Marine Drive a ghost town.
North Vancouver District’s Deep Cove has seasonal parking problems thanks to the popularity of nearby hiking trails, parks and businesses.
The district has conducted a technical study, public opinion survey and focus group with village businesses. It also hosted a community dialogue and then came up with a parking and access implementation plan.
One aspect of the plan included investigating the use of pay parking in district lots and on Gallant Avenue and working with community stakeholders.
Mayor Richard Walton said there is currently no pay parking anywhere in the district.
“The local residents are fed up with the traffic, there’s no doubt about that, but pay parking is not going to solve that,” he said. “There’s no easy solution. We’ve got work at the district to do ahead of us and we will engage the community closely because this problem is not going away.”