You could soon be paying more for parking in Vancouver.

The city is looking into boosting slumping revenue by charging more per hour for meter parking, as well as extending street meter hours.

A report was presented to council Tuesday afternoon and will be voted on in a couple weeks. If it goes through, parking meters will be in effect until 10 p.m. seven days a week starting Jan. 1.

Currently, the hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday.

Parking meter hour plan

The city says extending parking meter hours until 10 p.m. would improve turnaround on street parking and "reflect market demand." The report states there is a growing demand for parking beyond current hours.

The study found there is little incentive for people to move their car after 8 p.m. when the parking is free.

Here's how Vancouver compares to other cities:

  • Richmond 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Burnaby Varies by area, up to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • White Rock Varies by area and season, up to 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
  • Portland Varies by area, up to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Calgary 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Toronto 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • San Francisco Varies by area, up to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Chicago Varies by area, up to 24 hours
  • New York 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Seattle 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Extension of parking hours is expected to increase gross revenue by $3.1 million annually starting in 2010.

More money at the meter

In addition to paying for more hours, the city is also proposing a hike in how much drivers will pay per hour at the meter.

The recommended change would see meter rates rise about 8.8 per cent in 2010 -- from $2.04 to $2.22 per hour.

In some areas along the city's central business district, drivers would pay $6 an hour for street parking. Rates would also jump along Coal Harbour, Denman and Davie streets, Gastown, Yaletown and the area around BC and GM Place.

The bump would see a revenue increase of $1.8 million for 2010, and $2.45 million every year after.

Increased meter rates would begin April 1, and take place predominately in areas where more than 85 per cent of parking spots are occupied.

The city says higher meter rates will reduce long-term parking usage by people working in the area, and lower traffic congestion "created by drivers circulating around the block looking for parking spaces."

Extras

City staff are also recommending the purchase and installation of 150 new parking meters and 20 new pay stations for installation in new pay parking areas in 2010.

The city says it would need to add 11 full-time positions to its on-street parking program to facilitate all the proposed changes, including two coin collectors, six bylaw enforcement officers and one customer service representative.

Consultations

City staff consulted with local business improvement associations on the proposal. Of those polled, two expressed objection or provided alternative options.

The West Broadway Business Improvement Association said extending the hours would bring an increased cost to residents and customers that use the busy retail and restaurant district after 8 p.m. -- and may push them to other areas of the city.

The Downtown Vancouver Business Association (DVBIA) supports both the rate increases and the extension of hours.

"The worry is that you would scare people away from coming downtown because it's too much money, but I don't think that's the case," executive director Charles Gauthier told ctvbc.ca.

Gauthier said on-street parking downtown isn't meant for long-term parking and shouldn't infringe upon anyone's visit, especially now that the Canada Line makes transit more accessible into downtown.

"Plus, death and taxes are inevitable."

Councillor Raymond Louie sounded receptive to the idea Tuesday.

"We are severely-challenged as far as part of this operating budget for 2010, and we've been underpricing, I think, in certain areas of our city," he told CTV News.  

 With files from CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart