The Vancouver Park Board will soon add paid parking at some of its facilities for those who are using the parking lot, but not the facilities.
The 12-month pilot will see a charge of $3.50 per hour to park at Hillcrest, Kerrisdale and Trout Lake community centres.
For anyone using the facilities, the first three hours of parking are free.
Changes also include a new charge of $4.25 per hour to park at the Langara Golf Course, but golfers can park for free.
A $25 event rate for parking at the VanDusen Botanical Garden for next year’s Festival of Lights is also included in the changes, which is an extra charge on top of the entrance fee.
Some commissioners say the added cost will create a path to greater revenue, but others say it will price people out of community activities.
“We’ve made this as palatable as possible, and right now we’re in a situation where we’re going to throw away 1.5 million that we’re going to have to find elsewhere in our budget cuts,” Park Board commissioner Laura Christensen said.
“And I don’t want to do that.”
Commissioner Angela Haer said a public space should not be out of reach to anyone.
“They’re more equitable ways to generate revenue, ways that do not penalize residents for engaging in healthy community-based activities,” Haer said.