CALGARY – The city’s transportation committee approved changes to the Car2Go carsharing service Wednesday—and it could mean less availability for users.
City hall approved a new 25 per cent parking surcharge that Car2Go has to pay if the Smart cars take up 25 per cent or more of available space in any one ParkPlus zone, averaged over a month.
The city will track these clusters electronically, and inform the company before applying the surcharge.
The fee Car2Go pays for parking in residential permit zones will drop from $600 to $450. The city plans to update councillors on the impact of the policy changes in Sept. 2016.
The city has identified 120 micro-parking spots where only Smart cars will fit – 70 are already available in the downtown core and 50 more will be available in the next few months.
Calgary has 550 Car2Gos operating in the city, with 80,000 active members. Since 2012, the company says its fleet has accounted for more than two million trips.
A telephone survey of 800 Calgarians conducted by the City of Calgary in the fall of 2014 found that 75 per cent of Calgarians believe it’s important for carshare users to have flexibility where they can park.
According to the same survey, most Calgarians disagree that carsharing makes it difficult to find on-street parking in commercial or residential areas.
Findings of the survey will be included in a final report presented to city council.
With files from Erika Tucker
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