Spanish Banks pay-parking plan shelved, for now
Park board commissioners acknowledge lack of transit to beach is an issue
The Vancouver park board’s plan to introduce pay parking at Spanish Banks has been put on hold.
In a news release on Wednesday, the board said a “thorough” review by staff had reached the conclusion that pay parking near the city’s westernmost beaches wasn’t needed.
“Staff have advised that for this year, the revenue from Spanish Banks parking is not required to balance the budget,” the board said.
The plan was announced in November and then revised last month.
Critics had complained about the lack of transit to the beach and the park board commissioners have acknowledged this is an issue.
The board will take another look at the possibility of pay parking next year.
The plan, when it was revised in February, would have charged people to park from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. at the lots adjacent to the Spanish Banks beaches from the beginning of the Victoria Day long weekend until the end of the Labour Day long weekend.
A season’s parking pass was to be available for $87. Hourly parking would be $3.50 an hour, while parking for a whole day would cost $13.
Spanish Banks is the only beach in the city with free parking.
The park board says 40 per cent of its budget is raised through parking and user fees.
An online petition opposing the pay-parking plan drew nearly 13,000 signatures.
The anonymous authors behind the petition released a statement Wednesday on the petition’s webpage, expressing relief that fees would not be charged.
“I am so pleased that the board responded to public feelings on this. It’s the mark of good government when politicians listen and respond and I thank them for doing just that and rescinding this plan which clearly, many felt very strongly about,” they wrote.