Visitors to Rocky Point Park can save their coins for a scoop of ice cream now that Port Moody council has put plans for a pay parking trial period on the back burner.
The decision is an abrupt change of direction just two weeks after council voted to a one-year trial of pay parking at the popular PoMo park. The trial would have required that PoMo residents register up to two licence plates to qualify for free parking while visitors would pay $1 per hour for up to four hours.
A council decision from last spring to engage the city in a public consultation on the issue didn't materialize but Tri-City residents made their feelings known regardless.
"With the public outcry we've had, it's almost like armageddon we started," quipped Coun. Bob Elliott.
During the public input session at Tuesday's meeting, Rocky Point Kayak owner Jamie Cuthbert said the plan for pay parking didn't mesh with efforts to increase tourism to the city, particularly by drawing visitors to the park.
"The biggest oversight of this plan is penalizing and charging the tourists who are visiting our town," Cuthbert said. "There has been public consultation for every other major decision in this city, most recently on the monster homes, which affects a few residents. This parking plan affects over 100,000 visitors and most Port Moody residents, yet no consultation was done."
Yvette Cuthbert added the pay parking plan seemed ill-advised and expensive for temporary parking troubles over the summer, and would hurt her business and others in the park that pay a percentage of their sales to the city.
Council agreed to have staff arrange for public consultation on pay parking at Rocky Point, and to report back for options on implementing the program next summer.
