In order to increase revenue to keep up with services provided to the Greater Victoria area, the Capital Regional District (CRD) has been considering new options.
One of which has been paid parking in additional parks that were previously free.
In a meeting on Wednesday, October 11th, the CRD’s Regional Parks Committee staff sought to begin implementing paid parking at nine particular parks over the next three years.
Currently, the only parks people need to pay for parking at are the Thetis Lake and Sooke Potholes Regional Parks
The parks that have been recommended were:
- Devonian Regional Park in Metchosin
- East Sooke Regional Park in Sooke
- Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park in Saanich
- Horth Hill Regional Park in North Saanich
- Matheson Lake Regional Park in Sooke
- Mill Hill Regional Park in Langford
- Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park – South Access in Sooke
- Sea to Sea Regional Park in Sooke
- Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park in Metchosin
The increase in pay to park visitors is proposed as follows:
It was concluded by the Regional Parks Committee that by adding more paid parking in regional parks, the CRD could avoid any tax-increases that would impact all homeowners in the CRD.
“The nine parks that you see there have either bus or regional trail alternative transportation modes,” said Jeff Leahy, Senior Manager, Regional Parks .
The additional funds would be going towards the CRD’s Regional Trestles Renewal and the Trails Widening and Lighting Project.
The Regional Parks Committee heard the recommendation from staff, however, due to time constraints, the committee had to press pause on the debate surrounding the impacts of adding paid parking to those parks.
Committee Chair Colin Plant made the motion to refer the matter at hand to the October CRD Board meeting for debate occurring on October 25th.
Plant also added that if it were up to him, the only one of those parks that would be included in the CRD’s paid parking would be Elk/Beaver Lake because it is of similar stature to Thetis Lake and Sooke Potholes in annual visitors.
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