It’s doubtful that anyone would admit to liking to pay for parking, though it is a fact of life in many communities idyllic Penticton has managed to avoid facing reality.
So far it’s not surprising that there was an immediate backlash to Penticton’s new parking strategy, which will see pay parking expanded along Main Street, Lakeshore Drive, nearby beach parking lots and Skaha Lake Park.
But paying for parking isn’t likely to affect the city’s tourism traffic, even if Penticton is giving up a competitive advantage over neighbouring tourist destinations. Visitors traveling here from larger urban areas, used to paying for parking, likely won’t even think twice about paying six to 10 dollars to park at the beach for a day.
No, the people that are really going to be affected by more pay parking are the locals, used to free access to local beaches and playgrounds. There are options the city could take to lessen this blow, perhaps by dropping the parking fees in the off season, or implementing a system of monthly parking passes at a greatly reduced price for local users.
After all, the citizens of this community already pay property taxes. Isn’t access to public parks and beaches part of what we are paying for?
Of more concern than expanding pay parking was a comment by the city staff member presenting the plan, when he said one of the reasons to do this was to “better utilize an important city asset to its fullest potential.”
Penticton City Council already ran into problems this year with the deal to lease a portion of Skaha Lake Park to a private interest.
More pay parking may be an appropriate way to generate badly needed income for the city, but looking at all public spaces and properties as possible revenue generators is an attitude that city council and staff need to leave behind. Some space needs to be left for people to live in this city.