The Capital Regional District (CRD) is considering increasing its parking fees for a number of regional parks in the district as part of their Revenue Generation Strategy for 2021-2024.
The Regional Parks Committee proposed to the CRD, the “gradual implementation” of parking fees, along with the expansion of seasonal paid parking to nine additional regional parks between 2020 and 2022.
The proposal includes a gradual parking fee increase in the span of five years that looks like this:
The CRD will meet this Wednesday, February 24th to consider the recommendations for the parking fee changes.
There are considerations of alternate options with a slower and more gradual increase of parking fees over a span of four years or an accelerated implementation of paid parking in regional parks over three years.
According to the CRD, park visits have increased by nearly 50 per cent between 2010 and 2019.
The option to implement paid parking in an additional nine regional parks in 2022 based on the highest visitation levels and/or carrying capacity issues includes these nine parks:
- Devonian
- East Sooke
- Elk/Beaver Lake
- Francis/King
- Horth Hill
- Matheson Lake
- Mill Hill
- Mount Work
- Witty’s Lagoon
The Revenue Generation Strategy is proposed to “ensure appropriate funding for parks & trails infrastructure, improvements and maintenance.”
“The success of implementation will require working with the local municipalities and electoral areas and other stakeholders affected for a collaborative approach to parking issues in the area around each regional park.”
