This just arrived on my doorstep, from a clearly unhappy city employee not thrilled with the removal of employee parking, which has been traded for bus passes et all.
rom: COV Broadcast Server
Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 3:26 PM
To: City Hall Campus Staff – DL; Sustainability Group Staff – DL; SEFC Team – DL
Subject: COV Broadcast: Sustainable Commuting Program
Sustainable Commuting Program launches June 1, 2009
On June 1, 2009 the City of Vancouver will launch a Sustainable Commuting Program with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of employee commuting.
Staff that work at City Hall campus buildings will have access to:
o 35-50% rebates on transit passes and FareSavers
o $30/month ride-sharing, or carpooling, incentive per participating employee
o Programs and incentives for cycling, walking and other active modes
o Guaranteed Ride Home program
o Use of car share vehicles for work and personal needs
The incentives are being funded through the introduction of pay parking at City Hall area lots. Pay parking at City Hall lots will start on July 1, 2009 at an introductory rate of $4.50/day. It will move up to $6/day in September.
Expanding the program to other City worksites will be considered once it is running successfully at City Hall.
Details on how to sign up for the incentives and pay parking rates can be found on the program website
55 responses so far ↓
1 SC // Apr 10, 2009 at 2:26 pm
It is the province that has continually underfunded transit especially for the last 8 years since the vehicle levy was defeated. The main purpose of TransLink seems to be to shield the province from criticism regarding transit.
If you want better transit, go after the province.
2 sv // Apr 10, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Don’t forget that not every school has a parking lot.
3 Darcy McGee // Apr 10, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I never understood high schools that provided student parking. I know it’s less common here than where I grew up, but it just seems odd to me. That essentially equates to high schools encouraging car ownership through glorification.
Of course the same high schools used to provide smoking areas, despite the fact that smoking had long been illegal under the age of 18. I always thought the cops should have just charged those kids every day.
If schools want to provide parking for teachers in areas where parking is /commonly free/ (as Chris B suggests) than fine. It’s a waste of land (the city could generate revenue with that land) but fine. Schools should go with the flow of their area with respect to parking.
I know teachers will say they don’t make enough money and god forbid they have to pay for parking…they hate being reminded of their guaranteed inflation indexed pension for life when they complain about how much money they make, of course. How many private sector employees have that? How many private sector employees have free parking?
4 Living in the City // Apr 10, 2009 at 10:07 pm
…the main issue for me is to enjoy my commute to work each day
Agreed 100%. I move recently from the ‘burbs to Vancouver, and the first criteria I set for my new place was that it had to be within walking distance from work. No cars, no Skytrain, no buses. Purely on foot. It was a great decision: I definitely paid a premium for it, but in my mind it was worth it just so I wasn’t stewing in my car twice a day, five days a week.
5 a friend // Apr 12, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Senior planner that skateboards to city hall.
I hope that is with a helmut…. 🙂