Vancouver to consider free of charge meter parking for car share drivers

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Allowing car share drivers to park at meters in Vancouver is getting tentative praise from business groups across the city.

City of Vancouver staff are recommending the change in order to get more people to sign up for car-sharing services, such as Evo, Car2Go and Modo, and get them out of their own vehicles.

The recommendation would allow car-share vehicles to park in metered spots throughout the city, with the companies picking up the parking bill, and free stopovers at meters for up to two hours.

According to the report, 34 per cent of Vancouver adults have a car sharing membership and more than 60 per cent say they use car sharing as a way to save money, in addition to the environmental benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Right now, car sharing vehicles can only be parked in Resident Permit Parking and Resident Parking Only zones.

“We applaud the city for advancing this a little sooner then they originally told us because we knew that this might have been an item that could have been brought forward a year or two from now,” Downtown Business Improvement Association president Charles Gauthier said.

He says the plan aligns with a number of his BIA’s goals on sustainability, and supporting multiples ways of travel.

“There’s an opportune time to pilot this and see if it can work,” Gauthier said. “So, we’re excited about it. We don’t see any potential negative impacts to others who will be coming downtown and looking for on-street parking.”

But his positive outlook is not shared by all Vancouver BIAs. Cambie VIllage BIA president Rania Hatz has concerns over how parking at meters may negatively affect customer traffic if car-sharing vehicles sits in a parking spot for a long period of time.

“That’s fine from time-to-time, but it that’s going to happen repeatedly, and the car sits there too long, then we’re losing customers,” Hatz said. “So, we’re hoping that this works out that there’s high turnover and when there isn’t the high turnover, at the companies are diligent enough to move them.”

RELATED: Car2Go vehicles in Vancouver to soon sport a different name

Staff are also recommending a 50 per cent discount for a select number of zero-emission car sharing vehicles and waive their parking permit fees.. To limit the amount of parking revenue the city would lose out on, staff recommend a maximum 50 zero-emission cars per company per year be issued five-year discounted parking and free permits until 2024.

The report estimates the city could collect up to $250,000 per month from car sharing vehicles parking at meters. It is expected to go to council next Tuesday.

 

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