Residents and visitors in Coquitlam's Town Centre will soon have to pay to park on the street.
On Monday, council unanimously voted to end the city's contract with Impark once a contractor has been found to supply equipment and provide services for pay parking in the rapidly growing urban area.
City staff were unable yesterday to comment on the cost of the Impark contract but Mayor Richard Stewart said the city has been losing money on collection. The city takes in about $100,000 a year from pay parking.
Stewart said taxpayers have been subsidizing the collection services, mainly at Evergreen Cultural Centre and City Centre Aquatic Complex. Currently, there are no parking metres along Pinetree Way.
"If we can't have the taxpayers benefit with the revenue, then why are we doing it at all?" he asked. "We need to figure out how we can manage parking properly."
In his report to council, Bill Susak, Coquitlam's general manager of engineering, wrote: "Over many years, parking revenue has been eroded by vandalism and lack of re-investment in pay-parking technology. Over time, a new competitively bid services contract should produce a modest profit for pay parking."
The issue of parking in City Centre has been a major topic recently, especially as the area densifies and prepares for the Evergreen Line, construction of which is expected to next year.
Coun. Mae Reid, chair of the city's land use committee, has pressed for adequate parking in highrises and city staff are looking at parking options for developers building close to the Evergreen Line.
One solution staff suggested is the closer to the alignment, the fewer the parking spots available for residents and visitors, thereby forcing them to use public transit.
