The City of Langford may be moving in the opposite direction of the City of Victoria.
According to a CBC news report, Langford’s Mayor Stew Young has already begun buying up residential properties downtown in order to transform them into parking lots.
This measure is being taken in order to keep up with the city’s growing population – 20% increase from 2011 to 2016 according to Statistics Canada – and its parking needs.
Free parking and bike lanes
Mayor Young’s has maintained his advocacy of free parking in downtown Langford and is using taxes paid by local business to fund the construction of the new parking lots.
Langford is also working on introducing bike lanes and improving its public transportation services.
But in the meantime, Young finds it unrealistic to expect commuters to switch to bicycles overnight – hence the necessity for more parking spaces.
The move has garnered mixed reviews on social media so far – what do you think?
