Frequently asked questions

Permit programs can help us better manage parking and street space by encouraging more people to park off-street, freeing up road space for those who need it while making provisions for who is allowed to park and where. The proposed citywide program is intended to:

• Make it easier for residents, visitors, and service providers to find parking
• Protect neighbourhoods from future parking issues that might otherwise be caused by development, commuting patterns, or other local conditions
• Improve the customer experience in existing and future permit areas by making permits and passes easier to get

The proposed program would also support the climate emergency and other goals related to sustainable transportation, public space, and water management. It is intended to:

• Support safer streets and cleaner air by reducing driving in circles looking for parking
• Encourage zero-emissions vehicles for people buying new ones through a carbon surcharge
• Enable space to be converted to other uses like green infrastructure, wider sidewalks, and public spaces

We haven’t determined what the rates would be yet.

• The base permit cost for new zones would likely be lower than current rates in the cheapest existing permit zones (about $40 per year, or just over $3 per month).
• A carbon surcharge would be added to the base cost for new gas and diesel vehicles. It would only apply to new vehicles manufactured after the new rules are implemented.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

Higher fees would be intended to encourage people purchasing new vehicles to choose zero emissions options if possible. 

They would only apply to new gas or diesel vehicles that are manufactured after the new regulations come into effect. They would not apply to existing older vehicles.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

The intent of the surcharge is to encourage people who are buying new vehicles to choose efficient ones, if there are clean options available to them in the market. It is not intended to punish people with older cars.

Carbon surcharges would only apply to new gas or diesel vehicles that are manufactured after the new regulations come into effect. They would not apply to existing older vehicles.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

The initial focus of this work is on residential areas that do not already have parking regulations. 

However, some elements could apply to existing permit areas as well. For example:

• Improvements to the permit application and renewal process
• Improvements to visitor parking
• Carbon surcharges for new gas or diesel vehicles that are manufactured after the regulations come into effect

In the longer term, the City will explore ways to merge different parking permit programs into a single unified system.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

Program details are still being developed, but it is a high priority that the system:

• Is easy for residents and visitors to understand and use
• Provides convenient parking options for visitors, delivery drivers, service providers, and residents 

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

Providing safe and convenient travel options for people with disabilities is a high priority for the City. Parking can be especially important, as people with disabilities my have limited transportation options, and/or need to park closer to their destination.

A parking permit program can encourage more people to park off-street, freeing up valuable road space for people who need it most. This should make parking closer to destinations easier.

People with temporary or permanent mobility limitations may be eligible for a SPARC BC parking permit, which provides:

• Access to specially designated spaces
• 3 hour access to park in any Vancouver Resident Permit Parking or Resident Parking Only Zone (no permit required) 
• 30-minute access to loading zones, passenger zones, and no parking zones (while actively loading or unloading people or materials)

Staff will continue to engage with members of the disability community as the citywide parking permit program is developed. More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

If the citywide parking permit program generates revenue, it would be used to help fund climate emergency actions, as per the Climate Emergency Action Plan, approved by Council in November 2020.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

Council endorsed the idea in principle as part of the Climate Emergency Action Plan. Staff plan to bring forward detailed recommendations for Council approval in 2021.

More detail will be provided when it becomes available.

Climate Emergency Action Plan (2020)

In November 2020, Vancouver City Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan to reduce carbon pollution 50% by 2030. 

The plan includes transportation targets that by 2030:

• 90% of people will live within an easy walk or roll of their daily needs
• two-thirds of all trips in the city will be by active transportation and transit
• 50% of distance driven in the city will be by zero emissions vehicles

The plan includes many actions to support these targets, including a two-part motion on parking that staff bring forward recommendations in 2021 to:

• Eliminate off-street motor vehicle parking requirement minimums (except for spaces required for accessibility), implement parking maximums, and support sustainable transportation choices in new developments 
• Transition toward managing all curbside space, including an on-street parking permit system citywide to support the elimination of parking requirements in buildings, better manage parking within neighbourhoods, and support the introduction of carbon pollution surcharges for vehicles 

Transportation 2040 (2012)

In October 2012, Council approved Transportation 2040, the City’s long-range transportation strategy. It includes a number of parking policies (section M.2) that informed the Climate Emergency Action Plan directions.

In parallel to this work, Council has directed staff to bring forward recommendations to eliminate off-street motor vehicle parking requirements in new development (except for spaces required for accessibility). 

Occupancy studies suggest that many buildings provide more parking than building occupants actually use. The cost of this oversupply is significant—a single parking space can cost $50,000 or more to construct, an expense which is often passed on to building occupants even if they don’t own a vehicle. Eliminating minimum requirements reduces the cost of construction, which can support more affordable car-light and car-free housing options.

Conversely, the risk in providing buildings with fewer parking spaces is that occupants will still own cars but park on the street, making parking more difficult for existing neighbours. This is called ‘parking spillover.’ Managing curb space through parking permit programs can help address this concern.

If approved by Council, new policies could come into effect by late 2021 or 2022.

More details will be shared later this year when they become available.

A number of cities around the world have implemented citywide parking permits and/or carbon surcharges for residential parking, including Sydney Australia and Montreal Canada.

City staff will continue to look at best practices in Canada and elsewhere as policy options are developed in detail.

A two-part public and stakeholder engagement will take place in early 2021.

Part one will include surveys to better understand what parking is like in your neighbourhood today. 

Later this spring, we will invite feedback on a more detailed program.

Sign up for our email list to stay up-to-date on the project, including opportunities for input.