Every parking spot in Montreal should come with a charge: environmental group
Every parking spot in Montreal should come with a charge, including in residential neighbourhoods, a local urban planning and environment group says.
CRE-Montreal has issued 23 recommendations for parking as the city prepares for a report due next year on its long-term urban plans for 2050.
The group contends that every on-street parking spot in Montreal should be paid for in some way, whether through more parking meters in commercial areas or with residential vignettes.
"It's just a matter of being fair and charging the user more directly," said Blaise Remillard, who manages mobility and urbanism for regional environmental council group CRE-Montreal.
There are approximately 450,000 street parking spots in Montreal.
The group said 27 per cent of the city's roadways are taken up by parking, which is more than double the amount for bus and bike lanes combined.
CRE-Montreal said it costs taxpayers about $1,200 per spot, per year for maintenance, including roadworks and snow clearing.
Drivers should foot the bill, said Remillard.
"Thirty per cent of the households in Montreal don't even have a car and are financing those free spots. It's just a matter of being fair and charging the user more directly," he said.
Five boroughs out of the 19 don't have any paid parking.
The opposition at city hall says some of these recommendations go too far.
"We're not there yet," said Ensemble Montreal leader Aref Salem. "I don't know when we will get there, but for now, if we want people to stay, families to stay, in Montreal -- this is basically a way to push them out."
Some say it's a far cry from reality, including Linda Gauthier of disability rights group RAPLIQ.
"They didn't think about us. Not even a second," she said.
Between metro stations that aren't accessible and winter conditions, taking public transit is not always an option for people with disabilities, she said, adding that many people can't afford to have the extra expense of parking.
"For all the people with reduced mobility, most of them are receiving welfare. They cannot afford that," she said.
Remillard said low-income boroughs or areas with fewer public transit options should be charged last.
Still, he admits changing people's habits is difficult.
"When your life is constructed around where you live, where you work, where your children go to school, it's hard to change that," he said.
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