Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services

SUBJECT:

Parking Meters on West 4th Avenue - Burrard to Balsam

 

RECOMMENDATION

POLICY

City Council's Parking Meter By-law governs street use and parking meters.

PURPOSE

This report reviews parking in the Kitsilano business areas of 4th Avenue from Burrard to Balsam, and Yew Street north of 4th, and recommends the installation of parking meters in a portion of this area at this time to improve street usage for the area merchants. The report also recommends that Engineering Services' staff continue to work with the local businesses to improve parking usage.

BACKGROUND

In the past several years staff have discussed the parking in the Kitsilano business area with local businesses and particularly the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce. The areas that have received the most complaints about parking problems have been the area of 4th Avenue from Burrard Street to Balsam Street, and the Yew Street area from Cornwall to 1st Avenue. These areas have experienced recent change with the redevelopment of a number of sites, notably the former Plimley site ( now Capers etc) and much higher intensity commercial uses.

Partly because of the increased parking pressures from these areas, Council approved a Kitsilano resident parking program in the adjacent RM4 residential area. Council also approved the motion "THAT staff continue to work with the Kitsilano business groups to explore options to further improve parking accessibility for the area".

DISCUSSION

The City has various levels of control to ensure that street parking in commercial areas is used for the benefit of the business community. In most of the Kitsilano business areas there are time limits that control street parking. Time limits work reasonably well when street pressures are low. However, when employment grows and commercial activity increases, time limits become very difficult to enforce.

Recent surveys of street usage show that approximately one in four parked vehicles on 4th Avenue have overstayed the time limits, with many of them parking all day. A summary of the survey results is attached as Appendix B. Parking meters are much easier to enforce and ensure that street parking is available to the greatest number of people in a day. It is estimated that meters along 4th Avenue can increase parking opportunities for area customers by over 30%. A detailed meter proposal for this area has been prepared. It is recommended that a meter time limit of 2 hours be established, with a parking meter rate of $1.00/hour.

There are now a few meters in the Kitsilano area. These are centred around the successful commercial area at 1st and Cypress. Meters have also been installed with good support from the business community in parts of the commercial area east of Burrard, including 4th Avenue.

PUBLIC INPUT

Staff have discussed street parking with the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce. It was agreed that parking along 4th Avenue and on Yew Street was at a point where changes needed to be made to improve access for area customers. It was felt that parking meters would help to ensure the street continued to provide convenient parking for the area customers rather than be used by all day parkers.

This proposal was circulated to the merchants on the affected streets. There was support for the meter proposal on 4th Avenue from Burrard to Arbutus; however, many of the businesses in the area west of Arbutus do not support meters. Therefore, it is recommended that meters only be installed in the area east of Arbutus, which has received support from the majority of businesses. It is also recommended that the Parking Meter By-law be amended to allow the expansion of the parking meter area in this part of Kitsilano, to allow for the eventuality of support by local businesses in the future.

Staff will continue to work with the Kitsilano businesses to investigate methods to improve community parking, and would continue to make adjustments after discussions with local businesses.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT

One of the issues that was raised in discussions was the need to better enforce the existing parking time limits in the various commercial areas in Kitsilano. There is also a need for enforcement staff for the resident parking controls recently installed in Kitsilano, as no staff was added when this program was introduced. To ensure that one person is available throughout the day, 7 days a week, in the Kitsilano area, three parking enforcement staff would be required. It is proposed that two additional parking enforcement officers be hired to provide coverage at busier times along with the purchase of bicycles and other equipment.

STAFF AND FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are approximately 150 parking spaces in the areas recommended for parking meters. The cost to purchase and install parking meters is estimated to be $100,000, with annual costs of $15,000 for maintenance and coin collections. The meters that would be purchased for this use would be electronic and Smart Card capable. This cost would be offset by parking meter revenues in 1999 and would generate approximately $200,000 annually.

The annual cost for the proposed two parking enforcement officers is $80,000. The start up costs for this are estimated to be $10,000 mostly for the purchase of two bicycles, uniforms, and lockers. These costs would be offset by parking fine revenues in 1999, and by estimated annual revenues of $140,000 in subsequent years.

A copy of this report has been sent to CUPE 15.

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