Tofino — an internationally known tourist destination due to its proximity to spectacular West Coast beaches — is to introduce seasonal paid parking downtown, starting in May.
Visitor numbers surge during summer, filling up parking spaces.
Parking pressure creates “negative impacts for many residents, businesses, and visitors,” Tofino said in an information package for residents, who are being asked for feedback.
“In frequent cases, informal and poor parking habits resulted in reduced parking convenience/access to public spaces, infrastructure and vegetation damage, degraded road user safety, and high enforcement needs.”
Installing a pay-parking system is intended to increase vehicle turnover, freeing up more spaces. The idea is that each space would be used in 2.5-hour increments, Aaron Rodgers, Tofino’s director of public works and infrastructure, told council’s March 28 meeting.
This new system will bring a major change to some residents, who have been used to free street parking in front of their homes. Tofino council voted in favour of the parking plan but left room for public feedback to inform the final details.
Mayor Dan Law told council: “Parking has never been free,” adding it is paid for by taxpayers and grants. “This really is a way to put the cost of the infrastructure onto the people who use it.”
Tofino had a population of 2,516 in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. Pacific Rim National Park and other outdoor locations and activities have spurred its thriving tourism sector.
A virtual town hall is planned for Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to discuss the proposed downtown pay parking program.
A staff report recommends that downtown paid parking run from May 20 this year through October from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The plan would allow for progressive pricing, which could reach a maximum $18 for eight hours. The first two hours would be $1.50 per hour, rising to $2 per hour for the next two hours, then $2.50 per hour for another two hours and $3 per hour for the final two hours.
Downtown residents would receive one free parking space per lot. A second permit for street parking would cost $250 per year. Municipal bylaws state that properties should have parking onsite, staff said.
Members of First Nations in the region can get parking permits from the municipal hall.
If pricing remains at the proposed level, Tofino expects net revenues of $230,000 this year. Council voted to hire Robbins Parking to manage downtown parking. It already looks after pay parking at beaches, which has been in place since 2021.
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