Non-Port Moody residents will have to pay to stay at Rocky Point

VANCOUVER – If you visit Rocky Point Park and do not live in Port Moody, it will soon cost you to park your vehicle in the area.

The city’s council recently approved a trial of pay parking at the popular park.

The changes will affect parking lots ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘E’, which is in front of the Boathouse Restaurant and will be part of a one-year trial period.

Residents of Port Moody will not have to pay, but will have to register their vehicles – up to two per household – to park at the park for free.

Non-residents will pay $1 per hour for up to four hours.

This will be the only park in the Tri-Cities where you will have to pay.

Some of the owners of businesses at the park are concerned about what this could mean for their business as the park is very popular among residents and non-residents alike.

However, council says something has to be done to address the parking problem at the park, which is often at capacity. They are also concerned some people are parking at the park and not staying at the park.

“The cars behind me right now, we don’t know who they are,” says Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay, speaking from the parking lot on Thursday. “So we will get to know that through this program. The program involves licence plate reading, registering your vehicle if you’re a Port Moody resident, so we’ll know how many people are from Port Moody, how many are visitors, how long they’re here, how often they’re turning the spots over and right now we don’t have any of that control because they’re just parking here.”

There will be a $7,000 one-time set up cost for the city and the program will cost about $36,000 annually to operate.

Meters will be installed by August 15.