Free parking areas & Reduced parking meter rates

I am in favor of the proposals - this will certainly make Vancouver more on par with many international cities where two wheeled vehicles are a more widely used form of transportation. Are we a city that can truly step up on the world stage?
Anyone traveling through France or Italy can see the benefit of scooter and motorcycle travel and the efficiency with which people can travel from A to B and park with ease. I also point your attention to the practice of lane sharing - where in areas of congestion a scooter can move alongside cars to get to the front of the intersection - safely into zones specifically for two wheelers. When the lights turn green the scooters and motorcycles move away en masse - and really, this is the safest place for such vehicles to be - ahead of the “pack”. California has legalised lane sharing.
Although I realise this is not the topic at hand I still applaud the City for it’s initiative on the current issue of Free Parking Spaces and reduced meter rates.
I also urge the city to further investigate the claims that scooters are “not as clean as you may think” - I have a feeling much of the dredged up data, without references provided - does indeed refer to two stroke scooters. A quick call to a local scooter dealership can settle the dispute as to the numbers sold. And NO I do not work at a scooter or motorcycle store, I’m actually employed in the medical field and drive a 2008 VW mostly and a clean 4 stroke Vespa in the warmer months.
And I’m sure the individual who moves a family of four in an SUV would not be impressed if every two wheeler staged a protest and parked one vehicle per spot downtown when he was bringing his family to the cinema and couldn’t find anywhere to park his Hummer :) After all, paying full price for a spot entitles me to use the whole spot - no ?
And at 80 mpg smaller scooters should be encouraged as world supplies of fossil fuels dwindle…. oh I could go on, but bravo City of Vancouver and THANKYOU!!!! DK

General comment on pollution expectations for scooters and motorcycles. They are not as “clean” as you may think.

CO2 g/km
0 Walking, Bicycles
65 Moped
85 125 cc motorcycle
115 400 cc motorcycle
150 Car (unleaded fuel)
160 Large displacement motorcycle
205 SUV

Notice that motorcycles are not far off from cars and do not have the ability to carry more than 2 occupants. There is nothing cleaner to move a family of four with luggage and gear for 100km than an SUV.

re: Reduced parking meter rates and multiple vehicles in spots: Scooter and motorcycle drivers would get a discount on meter parking when using the pay-by-phone system, and more than one motorcycle or scooter could park within each metered spot.

Allow scooters and motorcycles to park on sidewalks in the “underutilized” space between the trees. It appears to be working in many countries and does not require additional cost to the City. (Obviously, the operator is required to push the scooter, motorcycle while on the sidewalk).

With respect to:
“Free parking areas: Would designate the space between a crosswalk and the last-metered parking spot on a street as an area where pedal-assisted scooters limited-speed motorcycles/scooters and zero-emission scooters could park for free.”
VERY BAD idea. This space is left intentionally to allow vehicles to move close to the right curb while executing right turn thus allowing the traffic going straight to continue.

considering the gas mileage of small bikes/scooters it seems sensible that reasonable efforts by the city should be made to make such efficient vehicles have sufficient and
economical parking.

SORRY, OFF TOPIC BUT ANONYMOUS FEEDBACK APPEARS LIMITED AND I WANTED TO SAY THAT GOOD FEEDBACK ABOUT ANY CITY’S BUDGET SHOULD BE POSSIBLE FROM ANYONE ON THE PLANET AND THAT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE LIVES IN THE CITY OR GIVES A CITY POSTAL CODE SHOULD NOT MAKE THEIR SUGGESTIONS ON A SURVEY MORE OR LESS VALUAble. One would hope the city makes good judgment based on information provided from surveys or other sources and with the opinion of experts. I can’t give you my postal code because the survey will not be anonymous. If I don’t provide a postal code the survey disqualifies me.
Why can I comment on parking for scooters anonymously but i can’t anonymously give you my ideas about how to save money
for the budget. When I bought my vancouver house in 1978 property taxes were 25 cents per day after homeowners was deducted today my taxes are 8 dollars per day and with your proposed increases because of olympic games etc it is supposed to rise by 50 percent over next few years then my taxes will be 10 to 12 dollars per day without heat or light, just bare cold ground with a building. cheers

Free parking for scooters and small motorcycles seems sensible. I routinely use the marked triangles at corners and have not been ticketed so far. A Honda Gold Wing and the like are the size of a small car and should pay accordingly. One unrelated item. Not having a direct line to Parking Enforcement is a very real annoyance. Who ever came up with this idea should be exiled the the wilds of Surrey.

I am in favour of free scooter parking

I’m all for it. If a scooter can safely park on the street, why not allow it to be free. Many great comments on here - I hope this comes to fruition!

I commute with my 50cc scooter pretty much daily except when it’s icy/snowy out. When my parking slot was temporarily unavailable for a few months this summer, I had to cycle (I’m not a cyclist) or drive my car instead, since I was too nervous to leave my scooter in the street to get knocked over (motorcycles parked on the street in this block have been knocked over many times, with expensive results).

I think that giving over one parking space to multiple motorcycyles/scooters per block in the downtown core would be really helpful. I have used the 2-wheel parking slots at Howe and Dunsmuir? Pender? and they’re great, but they’re ten blocks from my work, so not very practical for me. Impark lots charge the full monthly rate for 2-wheelers parking in lots, so there aren’t a lot of options for us currently. Free or reduced rate (and permitting re-metering, since our paid lot options are so very few) would encourage commuter use. If transit or cycling isn’t a good option (and it’s not for everyone), a scooter or motorcycle can mean saving tons of gas use, compared to a car.

I Like Francis’ idea. I would also support COV getting over themselves about Smart car parking…

designate a spot for Smarts/electic/hybrids in a simialr fashion and let Smart cars park sideways (rear bumper at the curb) like they do in Europe..

You’ve said it is not safe - then why do European cities do it??

Many cities especially in Europe offer free parking for scooters and small motorcycles and Vancouver should also. I think this encourages more people to consider a smaller, more environmentally friendly mode of transportation. I love my scooter!

Im an older lady who rides my 50cc motorcycle/scooter everywhere, almost every day, all year round. I do it for pleasure, convenience, economy but mostly for concern for the environment. If at all possible I do not use a car. It seems terrible that people drive big gas guzzling cars around to move 1 person from here to there, polluting to the extreme. I feel that FREE parking spaces for scooters and small motorcycles would be the best idea. The space needed would be very small and there could be one at each end of a block….it is not necessary to take away from the metered spaces for cars. People who do not use more energy than absolutely needed deserve acknowledgement for “thinking small” and free allocated parking slots would be most appreciated. Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

I am in favour of: 1) free parking areas for ALL 2 wheeled motorized and motor assisted vehicles between the last metered space and the crosswalk, along with the crosswalk and the first metered space.
2)Multiple motorcycle/scooter parking within a metered parking spot.

In Spain, Barcelona to be specific, all 2 wheeled vehicles are allowd to park on the sidewalks(closest to the curb) as long as they do not impede pedestrian traffic. There is also a very large (half a city block) free parking area, for motorcycles, located in front of the police building in the heart of the old centre of town. Now thats motorcycle friendly!

I favour free parking on the street for motorcycles, motor scooters and bicycles as well (whether motorized or not). If you try to charge for such parking people will not use it and just park on the sidewalks which is what some scooter and even full blown motorcycles do today. Commercial buildings should be urged (or forced) to provide cycle parking in the buildings for employees and visitors.

I would really like to see the bike racks removed from the sidewalks and the elimination of the practice of locking cycles to parking meters and trees as they represent a hazard for pedestrians as well as motorists getting to their vehicles. After all cycling on sidewalks is illegal so why do they get stored there?

Expanding parking for low emission vehicles is a good idea.
In December 2006, the Federal Government’s Ministry of the Environment set new emission standards for motorcycles and scooters. I am presuming these are the standards that the City will use to identify zero emission scooters. Unless a vehicle can prove updated emission standards only scooters and motorcycles made after 2006 will be able to use these parking spots. Also, a good idea.
Free parking for the types of vehicles that are listed in this proposal is great though I don’t know how many scooters you can get between a crosswalk and the first metered parking spot.
Reduced metered rates for vehicles that can park in more than one space is also a good idea. This may prove to be the better option from a City income point of view. If the parking is half the rate for cars the incentive to travel by scooter in the city remains and the City could benefit by having more than two vehicles in parking spot.

free parking for bikes in all lots to encourage more two-wheeled traffic than the higher polluting four-wheeled variety.
allow more than two bikes per lot (perhaps three or four).

or take away parking lots on one end of each block and convert them to insured two-wheeled-vehicle pay parking lots with discounted rates at the meter.

needing to have a cellphone to pay by credit card with the City’s current pay-by-phone system seems to be very inconvenient to the rider. the idea though, is simple for the City to implement and thus why it’s being offered. all it takes is a little reprogramming of the associated software. installing new meters for motorcycle/scooter specific parking lots would cost more and thus would be less likely to be implemented.

I’m throwing my support behind this letter sent to the City.

“I’m pleased that the City is giving consideration to this important issue but I am disappointed at the limited extent to which the two options below will address current problems. I’d like to provide some input/feedback into the two options below:

“Option 1 appears to try to make use of space on corners by providing parking options to a small subset of the two-wheeled community. Note that the small vehicles described in Option 1 are seldom found in street-side parking spots today. The owners of these small vehicles generally park on sidewalks and chain themselves to posts, signs, and bike racks. By creating a spot for them on the road, Option 1 reduces the security options available to these owners, and creates possible insurance risks for vehicles that do not currently require license plates and insurance. This Option simply does not address the needs of motorcycle riders who do not have the legal option to park on sidewalks and already assume the security risks of parking on roads.

“Option 2 appears to be a very limited opportunity to reduce emisions and congestion. The proposal includes the phrase “and Allow Multiple Vehicles Per Spot”. http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/parking/…otorcycles.htm already notes that “Motorcycles can share meter spaces with other vehicles”. Unless the proposal is to allow multiple riders to park in one spot with only one paid fee, the proposal to allow multiple vehicles changes nothing. Riders are already allowed to park multiple vehicles per spot.

“Option 2 also presents several questions and challenges. First, it implicitly assumes the ownership of cellular phones. (There are relatively few remaining pay phones in the city.) Second, the $0.35 “convenience” fee currently charged by the pay-by-phone system would become a $0.35 “mandatory” fee for riders. Even if kept at $0.35 (plus the rider’s cellular costs, plus credit card fees), this hidden mandatory cost would offset much of the benefit of the proposed rate reduction.

“I request that riders be granted reduced parking rates that are not limited by location or by expensive and often unavailable payment types.
- This could be achieved by ammending Option 1 to include all motorcycles.
- This could also (and most easily) be achieved by simply not charging motorcycles to park anywhere on streetside parking - thus encouraging more commuters to choose motorcycles to ride, and reducing congestion and emmissions, while reducing the cost of enforcement.
- This could be also achieved by expanding the existing streetside motorcycle parking spots from 42 by converting one regular existing paid parking spot on every block to multiple smaller free spots for motorcycles.
- Lastly, and to acknowledge that riders should not feel entitled to park for free, this could also be achieved by expanding the existing streetside motorcycle parking spots from 42 by converting one regular existing paid parking spot on every block to multiple smaller metered spots for motorcycles. This last option would require an investment in repainting, meters, staffing and likely other costs.

“All of the recommendations, however, would bring Vancouver to a similar level of commitment that other major international cities have already demonstrated toward fighting pollution and congestion - by welcoming and integrating two-wheeled commuters into the traffic plan.” Thanks!

If we’re going green then limit the free spaces between the curb and the first/last meter for electric bikes/mopeds only. Most scooters are still 2stroke engines which pollute more then any current car. We should not be encouraging the use of any motor vechile, sure we can charge them a lower rate but let’s not subsidize them.

I would like to see bike racks installed in some of those places, where parking is allowed 24hrs/day and the lane is not needed during rush hour. Even if it’s only a couple of racks on each corner it would help alot, plus send a great message.

I am in favour of free motorcyle/scooter parking

In London, England - you can park at motorcycle,etc virtually anywhere and at no charge. You should designate the last 15 ft from any corner being bike/motorcycle only… it is so hard to see around the new Minivans and Utility vehicles people are going to have more accidents. Motorcycles, etc would make it easier to see around corners.

Make it possible for motorcycles to park between car spaces- share them - so long as 3 ft on either side of bike

I do not own a motorcycle, so unbiased.

I am in favor for the free parking areas.

Free parking areas: Would designate the space between a crosswalk and the last-metered parking spot on a street as an area where pedal-assisted scooters limited-speed motorcycles/scooters and zero-emission scooters could park for free.

Nice! I’m all for it!