Calgary shelves proposal to eliminate free park-and-ride spaces

Calgary city council has shelved theidea of charging for all spaces at LRT park-and-ride lots, putting it on hold until after the 2017 municipal election.

"The idea of 100per cent paid parking is not deadthough Iwould love to kill it,"saidMayorNaheedNenshi, whohas beenamong the more vocal opponents of the idea.

"But it is certainlydeferred in favour of a number of things that make a lot more sense for the consumer," he added.

• Free Calgary Transit park-and-ride spots could soon be eliminated

Currently, half of the parking spaces at any given lot are reserved at a price of$85 a month.

The other half of the parking spacesare free on a first-come, first-served basis, meaningthere is no guarantee a free spot will be available on a particularday.

There are about 7,000 peopleon wait lists for a reserved spot.

City staff had suggested moving to 100 per cent monthly reserved parking at C-Train lots city-wide, saying it could better manage demand and boost revenue for Calgary Transit.

Council voted Monday to have that idea reviewed, with city staff reporting back in early 2018, while also looking at other ways to both raise revenues and cut costs for Calgary Transit.

Nenshi said the other ideas for transitcould include things likea daily fee for parking, creating parkingpartnerships with property owners near C-Train stations,as well as the potential ofcharging out-of-town residentsa larger fee for parking.

Calgary Transit used to charge $3 per day for parking at C-Train stations, but the pay stations were removed after the 2010 election, when council voted to end the charge.

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