If you think parking in Yaletown is slim, it’s about to get a lot worse.
Peter Girges, a Yaletown business owner and restaurateur, says he’s upset after hearing the City of Vancouver plans to slash at least 100 parking spaces along a five-block stretch on Hamilton St. and Mainland St.
“Think about the business owners that generate so much in revenue,” Girges said.
But Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jonathan Gormick says it needs to be done due to safety hazards.
“We most likely will be eliminating all of the angled parking on the north side of the streets to allow for better access to fire and rescue vehicles. It’s really only a matter of time until it becomes a serious problem and it puts multiple lives in danger,” Gormick said.
Gormick says the problem started when angled parking was added back in 2010.
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“It’s not a matter of getting an apparatus down those streets being tough, it’s a matter of not getting apparatus down those streets. We brought an engine to show people how tight the streets were three weeks ago and we were not able to get an engine down along Hamilton or Mainland and that’s a huge problem for the community.”
Gormick says the city is trying to find ways to make up for those spots.
The City of Vancouver says the parking changes will result in approximately 80 metered on-street parking bays being lost.
Engineering spokesperson Grace Carpenter says angled parking will be replaced with parallel parking, taxi zones, and ‘other uses’.
Those parking changes are expected in the coming months.
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