The City of Vancouver introduced the Climate Emergency Parking Program with the purpose of enticing residents to buy environmentally friendly vehicles in order to reduce pollution, and fun climate emergency actions.
This new program is part of the city’s Climate Emergency Action Plan which was brought forward in November in order to reduce carbon pollution by half by 2030.
This plan aims to charge an annual pollution charge of $1000 to higher polluting cars, such as gas guzzling luxury sports cars, large SUVs and full-size pickup trucks. This plan also aims to charge $500 to comparatively less polluting vehicles such as gas powered sports sedans, smaller SUVs etc.
These fees only apply to vehicles that are 2023 or newer. Any vehicles that are 2022 or older would be exempt, along with specialized vehicles for wheelchairs, and low-polluting vehicles such as electric cars and hybrids etc.
The City is also introducing a new overnight residential parking permit for residential streets that don’t already require permits. The permit will cost $45 per year. This ensures that the new plan is implemented across the entire city, and not only in permitted zones.
Vancouver follows other cities around the world with this plan, including Montreal and Sydney, Australia in order to meet climate goals and better manage curb space.
There is a survey asking for feedback that went live on Monday, and will remain live until July 5th. The program is planned to take effect in 2025 at the earliest. This gives ample time to gather public feedback and tweak the program accordingly if needed.