By 2035, Montreal will gradually make all curbside parking fees compulsory and give some of the funds to fund sustainable mobility, according to the Montreal Regional Council for the Environment.
Almost 450,000 street parking spaces that are offered free of charge or charged with the vignette system could thus become subject to a fee.
“We think the city should stop this encouragement of cars in favor of other public services that need resources,” said Blaise Rémillard, director of mobility and urban planning at the Regional Council for the Environment (CRE) in Montreal.
This is one of the 23 measures that this organization proposes in its “White Paper” on parking.
According to Mr Rémillard, this is a climate problem, but it is also a road safety problem. The money collected from the fare formation is to be used in particular to improve the financing of public transport.
“By charging parking better, there will be better mobility options. So the use of the car, which is a requirement for some, is becoming less and less,” he says.
Mr. Rémillard proposes gradually increasing the price of these places up to 2035, spreading it over time depending on the neighborhood.
“Obviously, if you live near efficient public transport services or privileged neighborhoods, you can spread this increase over a shorter period of time, while in other sectors you have to wait for services to improve,” he specifies .
He also wants financial compensation to be offered to low-income households who have no other means of transportation.
While the city welcomes some of the proposed ideas, the head of mobility on the board assures us that pricing for all parking lots is not for tomorrow.
“Parking fees are a lever for us to promote mobility and sustainable urban planning,” says Sophie Mauzerolle. “There is no short-term intention from the city to price all parking spaces.”
Parking vignettes are being distributed in several districts without taking into account the number of limited spaces in a sector, the CRE regrets.
The city should therefore consider setting a maximum limit for vignettes distributed in saturated neighborhoods. Waiting lists could then be set up for new residents.
“If that person needs a parking offer and we then charge them more, let us make sure there is a place for them,” says Mr Rémillard.
For the council, parking monopolizes too much space and financial resources for the community. According to their study, almost 27% of street space would be dedicated to parking.
“It deprives us of lanes for other modes of transport. If you decide to use a lane for cars, there are so many options for bike lanes, reserved lanes for buses and even driving lanes to have a fluid network,” points out the CRE’s mobility and urban planning manager.
The same applies to institutional and commercial parking spaces. “It’s a space that’s private, but dedicated to storing cars, and very often it’s not used at all,” argues Mr. Rémillard.
These proposals would align with what the city is currently using to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.