Vancouver man wants city to limit car share vehicles parking in resident spots
Dan Pressler says more than 40 car share vehicles were parked around his block during Craft Beer Fest
Dan Pressler has lived in a condominium a block away from Vancouver's PNE for 15 years. He said he likes the buzz that comes with events taking place in his neighbourhood, but the parking situation is getting out of control.
Parking on East Pender Street in front of his building is restricted to residents of the block, but drivers using car services like Evo and Car2Go are allowed to park there too. Pressler said since he moved into the neighbourhood, it's become a larger and larger inconvenience.
"It's definitely amped up over the last decade," he said, adding that he wants the City of Vancouver to find a way to manage the overload.
According to Pressler, the issue reached new heights over the weekend as the Craft Beer Festival at the PNE fairgrounds attracted people from all over — many of them driving car share vehicles to the event and finding alternative ways to get home.
Pressler said he counted more than 40 car share vehicles around his block, and many of them were left there overnight.
He said he supports the idea that the car services are better for the environment than everyone driving his or her own car, but for certain areas, like his, there has to be a limit.
Pressler figures about once a month there will be an event that draws the vehicles, forcing him to find parking farther afield, but during the PNE in the late summer, it's a constant issue.
"Those three weeks really become difficult for all the residents that live in the neighbourhood," he said.
According spokesperson Sabrina Scalena, the City of Vancouver supports car sharing programs.
"They are helping Vancouverites live car-light or car-free and, on the whole, promote the use of more sustainable modes of transportation," Scalena wrote in an email.
"In instances where cars bunch together, the City works with car sharing organizations to provide dedicated on-street space to draw demand away from residential areas," she said.
In the case of the Craft Beer Festival, Scalena said there were dedicated spaces provided on East Hastings Street and Renfrew Street.