Parking Benefit Districts

On September 19th, Councillor White put forward a motion asking for a staff report on investigating parking benefit districts (PBDs), with the reasoning, "A PBD is a designated area where metered parking revenue is reinvested into the neighbourhood. PBDs can help communities better manage parking, support local businesses and reinvest in local community improvements such as enhanced maintenance, public art or streetscaping.

Dynamic pricing for on-street parking encourages efficient use of curb space by pricing parking to reflect demand, so that spots are more readily available when needed. Dynamic pricing systems can also ease traffic congestion and encourage alternative transportation. "

While I am normally in favor of staff reports (the more information the better), I had immediate objections to this motion, as did most rural/suburban councillors. My primary objection is that encouraging alternative transportation implies that residents outside of the regional center have alternative transportation options, when we really don't. Asking rural and suburban residents to pay more for parking for not using public transportation we also don't have just made no practical sense to me.

Also noted in debate was the objection to using funds specifically in the parking benefit district. HRM relies on parking fees, and taking funds away from the collective pot could put HRM at a disadvantage. Moreover, Councillor Gillis noted the undue pressure this would put on contractors in the area, who are often not able to use underground parking due to the size of the vehicles they operate.

Even after debate, the motion passed. The motion was covered by the Halifax Examiner (here) and I'd encourage interested folks to read it if you're interested.