The City of North Vancouver will begin rolling out new curb access and parking rules in Central and Lower Lonsdale starting September 17, a plan it first announced in April this year. Pay parking will also expand to surrounding blocks outside core commercial areas by mid-November.
Paid parking will be introduced on several busy commercial and mixed-use blocks. In Lower Lonsdale, new pay parking zones are coming to areas around Lonsdale Quay and extending north along Lonsdale Avenue. In Central Lonsdale, the new zones are centred around 13th Street and adjacent commercial areas.
Nearby residential streets will also transition to permit parking.
The changes are part of the Curb Access and Parking Plan, which the council approved in the spring. CNV claims that it will make parking more reliable, fairer for residents, and better for businesses. City staff say the competition for parking has become too intense.
A 2023 survey found that more than half of respondents struggled to find parking in busy areas, such as Lower and Central Lonsdale, despite approximately 40% of off-street parking spaces remaining available. Currently, 97% of curb space is dedicated to private vehicle parking.
The plan’s goal is to maintain parking occupancy at or below 85%, ensuring that there are always a few spots available on each block. To achieve this, the City will expand resident permit zones, add pay parking in commercial areas, and increase the number of loading and accessible spaces.
“Competition for parking and curb space is too high,” the City says in its plan. “These changes aim to make sure people can reliably access shops, homes, and services.”
Other changes include phasing out “resident permit only” zones for more flexible permit areas, extending permit hours into the evening, and discouraging multiple permits per household. More short-term loading zones will be added to reduce unsafe double parking, while accessible spaces will be increased near shops and services.
The first phase will run from September to November 2025 in Central and Lower Lonsdale, followed by a monitoring period in 2026.
I hope the first 30 minutes are free.
This is absolute bullshit. The city could have easily put up 30 minute parking or 1 hour parking rather than charging people who can barely afford food and rent now to have to pay for parking to go shopping. This is absolutely creating an accessibility issue for low-income people and disabled people. I am totally disgusted by what Canada and Vancouver has become. Nothing but a money hungry greedy city full of greedy government.