"Discriminatory": 10K sign petition to change Calgary's parking permit plan

A group of Calgarians wants to change the city’s mind on residential parking permits with a petition that has thousands of signatures.

The petition, which has surpassed a whopping 10,000 signatures, is asking for a change to the Residential Parking Permit Program (RPPP) that would increase fees for parking.

Parking fees are set to change on August 1, with the city introducing a Market Permit that lets residents of high-rise apartments built after 1945 get permits and park within 150 metres of their buildings.

The cost for that permit is pegged at $150 per month for City Centre residents, $100 per month for Inner City residents, and $75 per month for Suburbs residents.

The organizer argues that the change will be “cost prohibitive for many lower-income” Calgarians, but will also be difficult to sign up with permits available online and registration required for each visit.

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The petition has racked up dozens of comments, with many expressing their frustration with the changes.

Change.org

One commenter stated, “Residents should have street parking. They pay healthy property tax already, which should cover their parking. It is a ridiculous cash grab.”

“Parking permit charges discriminate against people who live in particular neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods typically already bear a higher portion of the city’s property taxes,” said another. “I was opposed to permit parking on my street in the first place. Even though I park my vehicle in my garage I will need a permit or face the risk of tickets for even stopping in front of my house.”

“This is a direct attack on low and middle-class Calgarians who have been faced with unfathomably large increases to cost of living even without this additional burden. It is senseless, shameful, and needs to be reversed,” added one of the hundreds of people who have commented on the petition.

Others see the need for something like this, but feel the new system isn’t the way to go about it.

change.org

Calgary Parking told Daily Hive that they are aware of the petition that has garnered thousands of signatures and that they “recognize the impact these changes may have on residents who live in areas where there are RPP restrictions.”

Calgary Parking added that “through the new permit fees, the residents that utilize the parking service will help cover the costs of administrating the program they use,” before going on to say that they have been working with ward offices and community associations to address concerns from residents and explore options available to them if they don’t want to purchase a parking permit, such as removing RPP restriction signage where it is no longer needed.

You only need a Residential Parking Permit if you live in a Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) and want to park in “except by permit” zones or to overstay in time-restricted parking zones.