Despite pleas from business owners who described pay parking at Ambleside Park as a direct hit to their bottom line, West Vancouver council voted Monday to continue with the program this summer.
During a discussion that stretched over two hours, council members acknowledged the rollout of the pay parking at Ambleside Park has been a bumpy road since it was first introduced last September. But they said putting the brakes on now would result in losing revenue that had been the main reason to bring in pay parking. It also wouldn’t allow the district to assess the real impact of pay parking on nearby neighbourhoods, they said.
Business owners angry with the introduction of pay parking at Ambleside packed council chambers Monday evening to voice their displeasure.
Owners told council the introduction of pay parking at Ambleside Park has meant visitors choose to park in free parking in the nearby commercial area instead, leaving no parking for customers and driving shoppers away.
Ryan Emmerson, regional manager of Earl’s Restaurant in Ambleside, told council his restaurant is “now down $400,000 in sales since pay parking started.”
Emmerson said he’d hoped the warmer weather would bring back customers, but “I was really, really wrong.”
Keep reading: https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-vancouver-to-keep-unpopular-pay-parking-at-ambleside-park-12218920