Pay parking coming to Spanish Banks this summer after Vancouver Park Board vote
Beachgoers visiting Spanish Banks will have to pay for parking starting this summer, the Vancouver Park Board decided Monday night.
Park board commissioners voted 4-1 in favour of charging for parking at the popular beach, in spite of public backlash.
Commissioner Jas Virdi was against the plan, saying it's "one of the few places left in the city that doesn't charge for parking."
"It's a place for people who are struggling and can't afford places to go, to go," Virdi said Monday night. "Taking away the last sort of place that they can go for free away I think it's a little not fair."
Virdi also argued buses don't run to the beach "as frequent as they should."
But other commissioners said the park board is underfunded, adding the fees will help.
"Even though there's a group that will be sensitive about it, I think it's proper for us to step forward," commissioner Tom Digby said during the meeting.
While previewing the proposal in April, John Brodie, director of business services for the park board, noted that Spanish Banks is the only beach in Vancouver with free parking.
That leads to demand spiking "quite high during the peak season," Brodie said, which impacts traffic along Marine Drive. Staff suggested paid parking would decrease vehicle congestion, while also helping to fund upkeep along the beach.
Ahead of Monday's vote, more than 4,000 people signed a petition urging the park board to reconsider the proposal.
"This is a special place for people to come and go and enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of our city without having to put our hand in our pocket," the petition reads. "It's a rare treat."
The paid parking pilot approved Monday will begin in July for a 12-month period, starting at $1 per hour during peak season. Reduced parking charges will be in effect during the off-season.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ambassador says interactions with Russia 'quite limited' but 'not unfriendly'
Canada's ambassador to Russia says while Ottawa has 'grave concerns' about the Kremlin's 'longer-term trends,' the war in Ukraine is 'a primary barrier to a change in the relationship.'
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
China lands spacecraft on the moon amid growing space rivalry with U.S.
A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.