Port Moody continues to grapple with the potential of pay parking at Rocky Point Park, two years after the subject was first introduced at council.
At Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting council members, with the exception of the absent Mayor Mike Clay, debated for nearly an hour a request from staff to provide more direction on where pay parking fits with council’s new strategic priority agenda.
In July 2014 the previous council directed staff to implement a trial pay parking program at Rocky Point that would charge non-residents $1 per hour up to a four-hour maximum; Port Moody residents would register up to two licence plates and receive free parking. After significant public outcry, however, council decided public consultation should come before a trial program to start in July 2015.
That public consultation never happened — nor will it — after the committee voted to keep a pay parking-only model on the table but also to have staff report back on increasing enforcement of time-limited parking and on metered and limited free parking.
Council members struggled with whether to proceed with a trial program, noting widespread opposition from Port Moody residents, visitors and businesses who said pay parking defeats the city’s goals of increasing tourism, particularly at the popular park.
But they also puzzled over defeating a motion council had supported twice in the past two years, or moving ahead with the program but without the public consultation.
“This is a trial, it’s just for the summer, after that we can get feedback and see how it worked,” said Coun. Meghan Lahti. “Nobody’s going to be in favour of pay parking, let’s face it.”
Coun. Diana Dilworth, who first introduced the concept of pay parking at Rocky Point back in the summer of 2013, echoed Lahti’s statements and said pay parking is needed because the lot are being used by increasing numbers of people visiting nearby businesses.
Eventually the committee agreed to somewhat of a hybrid solution that would incorporate some of the extensive legwork already logged on the pay parking trial, directing staff to report back on options for using the proposed meters to monitor time limits for parking and to step up enforcement.
Coun. Zoe Royer voted against the motion, stating throughout the discussion that she is opposed to pay parking at Rocky Point given the city’s changing landscape under the new official community plan and soon-to-arrive Evergreen Line.
It’s hoped that ticket revenue would offset any costs for the meters, software and bylaw officer time.
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