Ambleside gets 15-minute parking spots
Two 15-minute parking spots are being added to each block of Marine Drive in Ambleside for customer convenience, but not every store owner is happy about the change.
The spots will be handy for customers of convenience shops, liquor stores and banks, who come and go quickly, but could take up parking for people who want to stay longer.
John Cave, owner of Take Off Travel in the 1300 block of Marine Drive, told West Vancouver council on July 23 that the short time limit will drive away customers who plan vacations at his travel agency.
“You’re driving our customers away from us. On our 1300 block south side nobody in the block wants 15-minute parking,” said Cave, who is a member of the Ambleside Business Association.
His side of the street has a hair salon, two restaurants and a tailor, businesses he said don’t want the change.
With longer parking available at Park Royal, he is concerned customers afraid of getting a ticket will choose to shop at the mall.
After listening to Cave, council decided it wouldn’t put in 15-minute parking spaces on blocks where all businesses didn’t want them.
“The purpose of us doing this project about parking is to benefit Ambleside businesses, so it seems to me quite strange that we would force it upon business [owners] who say it’s going to hurt their business,” said Coun. Craig Cameron.
The short-term option is being added instead of reducing all parking spots from two hours to one, which council found was not supported by business owners.
Council said that employees taking up prime spots along Marine Drive has decreased the available spots and urged businesses to work on the problem, as well as support parking at the back of stores.
If 15-minute parking is added to the 1300 block of Marine Drive, Cave said he would not put up with his customers getting tickets if they stayed longer.
“If somebody is parked in front of my business doing a safari or world cruise, and they’re in there for three hours and they get a ticket, I’m bringing that ticket up to city hall and it’s going to be taken care of by city hall.”
mgarstin@northshoreoutlook.com
twitter.com/MichaelaGarstin
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