Vancouver Park Board announced March 28 that it will not charge for parking at Spanish Banks beach this summer.
“Staff have advised that for this year, the revenue from Spanish Banks parking is not required to balance the budget, so plans for the introduction of pay parking in four Spanish Banks lots are currently on hold,” the board said in a release.
“The park board will review operational and financial considerations next year and will carefully consider submissions from residents concerned about access and affordability to beaches with limited transit options for families and persons with low incomes.”
Originally, the park board said that starting April 1 pay parking would be in effect and that the seasonal charges would end on October 1.
It then revised the timeframe to be starting on the May 21, Victoria Day, long weekend and running until the September 3, Labour Day, long weekend.
Park board commissioners had raised concerns about the lack of transit alternatives to the relatively remote beach and park board staff are working with what the board calls its “transportation partners” to try to improve transit.
“While parking revenues help to reduce taxation revenue required by park board, access for all residents and visitors is also a key priority,” the board said.
