White Rock residents rankled by street parking jam
CBC News | Posted: May 7, 2018 4:10 PM | Last Updated: May 7, 2018
Residents claim Best Street has become an extension of Peace Arch Hospital parking lot
White Rock residents near Best Street say they're fed up fighting for parking spots in front of their own homes.
They claim that an expansion at the Peace Arch Hospital has left fewer parking options there, so people are using the 1300 block of Best Street instead.
Kevin Costello is a local resident who says it has to stop.
"The employees from the hospital are coming down here for free parking and then walking over to the hospital," he said.
The Fraser Health Authority says it is aware of the problem.
Jacqueline Blackwell from the authority says Fraser Health is looking at solutions, "how we can reconfigure the existing lot and also proactively looking at other solutions for staff parking," she said.
Fraser Health is also looking at car pooling and other transit incentives, Blackwell said.
A petition is circulating in the community demanding that the city extend a resident-only parking bylaw to the area.
Residents like Garry Wolgemuth says he would be willing to absorb any extra cost that would bring.
"I'd be willing to pay, yeah, because right now if I go to where I live it's full right up," he said. "I can't find a spot."
'Parking isn't adequate'
The City of White Rock says often when streets are designated as resident parking only, the problem just moves to another street without restrictions.
City councillor Helen Fathers says residential parking is a problem across the entire east side of White Rock.
"Really the issue is that there isn't adequate, enough parking that's provided by the hospital," she said. "The hospital is expanding so we really need to look at a solution."
Last August construction began on a new hospice and mental health facility at Peace Arch in a space that used be a parking lot.
Residents say they plan to push for resident parking only at the next White Rock city council meeting on May 14.
With files from Belle Puri.