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Car-share to get parking

The City of Richmond has agreed to reserve parking spots for drivers using a carshare program.

The City of Richmond has agreed to reserve parking spots for drivers using a carshare program.

A Vancouver-based carshare company has contacted the city about being given exclusive parking spots at or near Canada Line stations, so it can expand its services into Richmond.

Car-share services give its members 24-hour access to a fleet of cars, which are stationed conveniently around a city or region.

Vehicles are booked in advance and are picked up and dropped off at convenient locations for the members.

According to the city's transportation planner, Joan Caravan, the benefits of carsharing include: increased affordability for lower income drivers; reduced congestion on the roads; reduced gas emissions; reduced residential parking requirements.

Currently, the city has a small number of car-share spaces either in operation or soon-to-be-available in multifamily residential developments in the city centre, Broadmoor, Steveston and Ironwood.

Caravan said off-street parking, such as in the aforementioned residential complexes, is the city's first preference.

But as the car-share company in question, Car2Go, wants availability near the Canada Line, on-street parking spots could be made available as an interim measure, and until off-street parking near the stations came about.

Staff have recommended that an annual administration fee of $300 be levied per spot to offset the cost of signage and decals.

"Access to car-share services can not only allow households to reduce their vehicle ownership, but also provides an incentive to reduce driving and rely more on alternative travel modes," Caravan said in her report.

Caravan added that the expansion of car-share services in the city would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve "community mobility."

acampbell@richmond-news.com