Reducing fire hydrant parking restrictions could add hundreds more spots

VANCOUVER — A coalition of firefighters, city engineers and administrators is proposing a novel solution to city parking woes.

Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis says shrinking the no-stopping zone around fire hydrants could create hundreds of new parking spots in congested cities.

Garis said his department began investigating whether five metres was necessary after the city’s engineer said he was reviewing parking availability in a higher density neighbourhood.

“I said, it’s been like that my entire career, so I’m not sure. But let’s take a look at it,” Garis said. “What we found is that it could be half that.” Setbacks were created so that firefighters could see and access them easily. Most rules in North America restrict parking within three to five metres of a hydrant, Garis said.

In Canada, laws vary by province and municipality. While British Columbia shares the same standards as Montreal and Calgary, Ontario allows cars to park within three metres of a hydrant.

Garis, who also teaches at the University of the Fraser Valley, co-authored a study with John Lehmann and Alex Tyakoff, who are members of the fire department, using a mock curb and hydrant.

They found parked cars only got in the way when the setback was two metres or less.

The Fire Chiefs Association of B.C., Metro Vancouver Regional Engineers Advisory Committee and Regional Administrators Advisory Committee have endorsed shrinking the setback zone.

That means changing the Motor Vehicle Act in a way that allows each municipality to change the setback zone on a case-by-case basis.

The Ministry of Transportation said it is willing to consider reducing the clearance zone around hydrants, but the Union of B.C. Municipalities is the best forum to bring the proposal forward.