Seasonal paid parking came into effect in Tofino’s downtown on Monday.
The paid parking will be in place until Oct. 31, a move the District of Tofino said will increase parking turnover, encourage active transportation, and provide funding for the municipality, an internationally renowned destination that receives a huge influx of visitors every summer.
Visitors and locals without a vehicle permit pay $2 an hour, rising to $4 an hour for recreational vehicles.
Pay parking will be effect seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., with a four-hour parking limit in all spaces other than those on Highway 4.
Mayor Dan Law previously said the program is a way to put the cost of road infrastructure back onto the people who use it, and that “parking has never been free.”
“This is a practical way to tackle Tofino’s acute parking issues, rising infrastructure costs, and community amenity requirements,” Law said in a statement. “We have heard clearly from our residents, visitors and business community about the increasing struggle with parking in Tofino’s downtown core.”
Downtown households are eligible for one free annual parking permit and can purchase a second permit for $150. The permits grant long-term and overnight access for registered vehicles on the resident’s block.
Ucluelet and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District residents can purchase a downtown annual parking permit for a discounted price of $60.
Eligible Tofino, Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht Nation residents can register online for free parking permits.
Use of the 15-minute spaces adjacent to amenities such as post office, bank, municipal hall and Gaia Grocery will remain free.
The parking policies are coming to the community later than expected and have undergone some changes.
Previously, district staff had planned for the program to begin in May and run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Pricing would have started at $1.50 per hour and increase by 50 cents every two hours until it was $3 an hour for a parking space.
That progressive pricing scale would have brought an estimated $230,000 to the municipality in its first year after accounting for costs, staff said.
Robbins Parking — which has managed the paid parking lots at Tofino’s beaches since they were first implemented in 2021 — has been selected by council to manage the program for $150,000.
For those trying to find free parking in Tofino, some spots will be available along Campbell Street and the lower section of First Street.
