In Our View: Parking is Problematic

As we have noted editorially in the past, someday the problem of parking in urban areas will be solved by flying cars and dumbwaiter-style parking garages. Until then, Vancouver is forced to face the can’t-please-everyone issue the old-fashioned way — by using parking fees and available spaces in a fashion that balances the needs of workers, business owners and visitors.

That was the purpose of a yearlong efficiency study to assess parking programs in the city and develop plans for the future (https://tinyurl.com/yajjd2m2). “You actually have ample off-street parking, but most people want to park at the most convenient locations,” said Julie Dixon, who led the study and presented it to the city council last week.

The assessment of adequate parking likely will be disputed by many people familiar with Vancouver’s downtown area. As the economy has improved and the population has grown, parking in and around the city’s core has become more difficult to find. That is a good thing; well, at least it is better than having few businesses and few customers, but it can be frustrating for drivers. The issue is particularly pressing in the bustling Uptown area, where local residents are understandably annoyed by shoppers parking in residential areas.

Vancouver began addressing the problem last year, even as the study was ongoing, as standard parking rates and fines for parking tickets were increased (parking money goes toward administering and improving parking services). But more action is necessary to improve the experience for customers and merchants alike. “We’re at the point now in parking where we need new tools and new policies in place to deal with our challenges,” said Teresa Brum, the city’s economic development division manager.

One necessary tool would be the elimination of a 20-minute free button on single-space parking meters. The 20-minute grace period is abused by many drivers who repeatedly push the button throughout the day, leading to lost revenue and enforcement challenges. The button is a nice perk, but requiring drivers to plug a nickel or dime into the meter will better serve the city and local businesses.

Another tool that warrants consideration is adjustable pricing that increases at peak hours. The idea is to encourage drivers to park in less-congested areas — a worthy goal — but we are concerned that flexible prices will simply confuse drivers and lead to a disappointing experience that discourages future trips to the downtown area.

The study provides numerous suggestions for easing the parking crunch, ranging from those that can be enacted immediately to those that take a more long-term approach. In the process, it reflects the manner in which cities have revitalized themselves.

Decades ago, in reaction to a freeway system that had drawn residents from cities to suburbs, urban planners thought it was a good idea to have block-sized street-level parking lots to lure drivers downtown. It wasn’t. As noted architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable of the New York Times wrote upon a 1970 visit to Portland: “The scattered bomb-site look of downtown parking lots … (is) destroying the cohesive character of the city.”

City planning has come a long way since then, and Vancouver’s attention to parking and its coherent approach to the issue can help facilitate a vibrant, thriving downtown for years to come. Or at least until the flying cars and dumbwaiter parking garages come into style.