A commentary by the executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems.
The Aug. 31 Times Colonist article “Overhaul could make parking a lot harder to find” is nothing but fear-mongering.
Contrary to what it implies, proposed parking reforms can benefit everybody, including motorists.
Our parking needs are changing. Driving has peaked and continues to decline in cities that invest in non-auto modes.
According to Capital Regional District travel surveys, the number of trips we make has declined by about a quarter, from 3.5 daily trips per capita in 2006 to just 2.6 in 2022.
Vehicle ownership is also declining, and a quarter of Victoria households are now car-free.
It would be wasteful and unfair to ignore these trends and not reform parking policies.
There is no war on cars. Contrary to critics’ claims, Victoria’s reforms will not eliminate parking or driving. Residents can build as much parking as they want and motorists can drive to virtually any destination, provided they are willing to bear the costs.
Parking is never really free, the choice is between paying directly through user fees or indirectly through higher housing costs (for residential parking), higher taxes (for free on street parking) and higher retail prices (a restaurant meal costs a couple of dollars more if parking is provided without charge for customers who drive).
It is time to reduce excessive parking subsidies.
Parking is far more costly than most people realize. Constructing a driveway and two car garage typically costs more than $60,000, and a single underground space more than $80,000. Many parking spaces cost more than the vehicles they serve.
Off-street parking mandates add 15% to 20% to housing costs. Cities that reform parking policies have seen large increases in lower-priced housing development.
If Victoria wants to be more affordable, we must reform parking mandates, so car-free households are no longer forced to pay for costly parking they don’t need.
Off-street parking also increases pavement, which displaces greenspace and increases stormwater management costs. A typical driveway and garage add more than 500 square feet of impervious surface, leaving homes with less space for trees and gardens.
If we want a greener and cooler city, and cleaner water, we must reform parking policies.
Driveways also endanger pedestrians, particularly when vehicles back across sidewalks. If we want safer walking, we must reform parking policies.
Of course, transportation policies must balance the needs of different travel modes. Although some trips are best made by automobile, that doesn’t mean that everybody should drive everywhere or parking should always be free.
Cities become more efficient, fair and livable if they minimize pavement and invest more in sidewalks, crosswalks, bikeways and public transit.
Yes, drivers sometimes have difficulty finding an unoccupied space, but there are better ways to solve this problem than simply expanding parking lots.
Smart cities use regulations and pricing to increase parking turnover in high demand areas so motorists, including delivery vehicles and people with disabilities, can always find a space.
If we want Victoria to be convenient for both drivers and non-drivers, we must squeeze more value from each parking space, so less land is paved, leaving more for what we want — homes, trees, greenspace and safe sidewalks.
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