New parking tax a necessary evil

By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor

t the beginning of the month,

taxes on “off-street paid parking

lots” in Metro Vancouver
increased three times to 21 per cent. The
money generated from the tax will go
to TransLink to help fund public transit
and the construction of new roads and
bridges. Many citizens and downtown
business and building owners are
outraged. They claim that the tax is just
another money grab targeted at a select
group of commuters. Some business
owners have even formed a coalition to
“Drive out the Tax.”

I can understand that no one wants
to spend any more money than they
have to. Wages in B.C. are arguably not
adequate to keep
up with the ever-
increasing cost of
living —especially
in downtown Vancouver. Perhaps the
current state of spread out communities
in metro Vancouver is not ideal for public
transit, but something must be done.

The population of Metro Vancouver

is projected to increase significantly
over the next couple of decades. If this
population growth is met with a transit
system that favours the automobile, we
are in for a real mess.

The environmental, economical and

social impacts of the automobile are
all well known, yet we continue to
pour money into bridge construction
and the widening of roadways. A
continuation of this bigger is better
philosophy will result in a future
where a parking tax increase will be
the least of our worries.

Currently, public transit
throughout most of the Lower
Mainland is seen as unreliable,
uncomfortable, and very slow.

This general perception serves

only to compound the problem. As
more people opt for automobile travel,
congestion increases and the problem
only becomes worse. As a cyclist, there is
no better feeling than whizzing by a line
up of gridlocked cars. Perhaps, if people

using public transit were given this same
feeling every time they took the bus or
rode the SkyTrain, transit use would
increase.

We have to find ways to make
public transit more appealing to the
general public. We need to develop a
safe, convenient, reliable and comfortable
public transit system. Unfortunately, it’s
not going to appear out of thin air.

L used to drive in to downtown

   

Vancouver to go shopping, but after
multiple trips confronted by congested
one-way roads, absent parking space
and outrageous parking prices, I now
opt to take public transit. It may take a
little longer, but the SkyTrain stops in

multiple places in the downtown core
and I have always enjoyed walking

rather than driving around downtown.
Personally, increased parking stall prices
will not deter me from visiting downtown
Vancouver; it will just further deter me
from driving there. Have business owners
forgotten that transit users are consumers
as well? While it may not work for
everyone, a properly functioning transit

Beans

system is crucial to the downtown
business district.

In the end, it always comes down
to the big picture. In the past, urban
development has favoured the car. That
is no reason to say that we can’t change
now and start planning for different
modes of transportation. Although
reducing spaces for cars may generate
conflict in the short-term, if we continue
to build more roads, bigger bridges and

|| add parking spaces, the problem will
j only continually get worse. Bigger and

wider roads lead to more roads - it’s a
vicious cycle. The problem needs to be
addressed. Land-use and transportation
use planners must work together to
minimize travel distances and encourage
alternative forms of transportation. While

it’s never too late to make

“The environmental, economical and social impacts of the automobile are all well known, yet we changes to future plans, we
continue to pour money into bridge construction and the widening of roadways.”

must up-date and manage
what we currently have.
This, however, does not come without
a cost. Increasing the cost of downtown
parking stalls will generate revenue for
public transit infrastructure and reduce
the appeal of the automobile.

Everyone is looking for a solution
but nobody is willing to pay the price.

 

 

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