Proposal for pay parking at Spanish Banks prompts community backlash
As predicted, a new proposal to charge for parking at Vancouver's Spanish Banks Beach has been met with swift backlash from the community.
The staff proposal – which would eliminate all 744 free parking spaces spread across four lots at Spanish Banks – was previewed at a meeting of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation last week, but has not been officially presented or voted on yet.
Staff said the actual proposal was coming "soon," for potential implementation as early as June 2024.
In the meantime, a petition urging the board to reject the idea has already gathered more than 1,200 signatures.
"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. Let’s keep this area free for all."
During last week's preview, 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 could decrease vehicle congestion, while also helping to fund upkeep along the beach.
The petition argues the parks budget "should be maintained on the same basis it has been for all the years Spanish Banks has not had parking fees."
This isn't the first time the park board has considered charging for parking at Spanish Banks – but the last attempt, in 2018, was abandoned in the face of public outcry.
Commissioner Tom Digby said he expects a similar response this time.
"I mean, this is going to cause a riot, right?" he said at last week's meeting.
If the proposal goes forward, staff said they would co-ordinate with city hall to simultaneously impose metered street parking – which is controlled by council – along the beach as well.
Fees could be as low as $1 per hour to begin with, which staff said is the lowest amount allowed under the city's bylaws.
Commissioner Angela Haer raised concerns about drivers flooding into side streets in the area to avoid the fees – a problem she said already exists during the busy summer months – but staff suggested residents could be surveyed about the possibility of introducing sections of permit-only parking on their blocks.
Haer later suggested she will be voting against the proposal, regardless of the details.
"I live there, so I'm probably not going to support this," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
The remains belonged to three adults, a teenager and a newborn baby, according to a statement from the Latebra Foundation, a historical organization based in the Polish city of Gdansk, published Thursday.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.