Burnaby is considering introducing paid parking to Barnet Marine Park after seeing increased traffic and subsequent safety concerns.
The waterfront beach park has seen safety challenges as it grows in popularity, according to a staff report presented to the city’s parks commission this week.
“Unfortunately, the park’s popularity has also brought about ongoing challenges in parking and traffic management, affecting the safety of park users.”
More than 276,000 visitors enjoy the park every year, with peak periods attracting more than 1,900 daily visitors.
“Most visitors arrive by vehicle, leading to significant parking lot demand, which can reach up to 1,000 vehicles per day,” states the report.
In 2021, one of the parking lots was rebuilt to meet current safety codes, but the park “continues to face vehicle flow concerns,” like congestion and vehicle queuing that spills onto the Barnet Highway.
“This situation has created challenges for emergency vehicles trying to access the park during peak hours.”
City staff and RCMP manage vehicle and pedestrian crowding at the park during peak periods, but the lots reach full capacity by 11 a.m. on peak days.
There are two electronic signs noting “Lots Full” at the park entrances on Barnet Road, but the “traffic congestion persists as vehicles continue to circulate the lots in search of vacant parking stalls.”
It results in the city paying a little more than $250,000 in staffing costs for parks staff, bylaw officers, RCMP and external traffic management personnel to ensure on-site safety, according to the report.
The report says parks offering water and beach amenities, like Buntzen Lake, Sasamat Lake and Lynn Canyon Park, saw a significant increase in visitors during the pandemic and the cities responded by implementing paid parking or advanced online reservation systems.
Parks staff are now exploring more strategies to manage parking demand.
Two of the options for managing the parking lot next year include:
- Paid parking where visitors pay a fee to park. “This can help regulate parking demand and generate revenue that can be used for maintenance and improvements in the park,” states the report
- Outsourcing parking management to a professional company with expertise in handling parking systems.
Staff will analyze the options and consider the feasibility, cost-effectiveness and impact on park visitors and bring a report to the parks commission and council in fall 2023.
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