Delta wants to head off any more problems with summer traffic jams at Boundary Bay.
Council last week endorsed having staff consult with the Boundary Bay neighbourhood via a letter mail out seeking feedback on a proposed pilot permit parking program.
Boundary Bay Regional Park has experienced a large influx of visitors during sunny weekends and holidays and last summer parking quickly exceeded capacity, resulting in long traffic queues, illegal parking along Boundary Bay Road and spillover traffic entering the neighbourhood.
A staff report notes the problem has generated substantial feedback from residents and those concerns were discussed by council last December.
Based on the recommendations at that time, staff had anticipated proceeding to public consultation, but it had to be deferred due to the pandemic response requirements to forego public meetings.
However, the recent closure of the park parking lots have again exacerbated traffic and visitor parking issues in the local neighbourhood, the report notes, adding that staff in response have been implementing several of the approved recommendations.
They include signage informing drivers of "No Vehicular Access to Boundary Bay Park Beyond This Point" at the park access and the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Boundary Bay Road.
The recommendations also include consulting with the neighbourhood on options to deter pick up and drop off activity at the north end of Centennial Parkway adjacent to the park.
Although staff were unable to undertake a full consultation, signage was installed at the north end of Centennial Parkway at the park access which states "No Park Pick Up or Drop Off' in an effort to inform the public, the report notes.
The Centennial Beach’ parking lot has about 640 spots
Staff are also investigating seasonal permit parking regulations within Boundary Bay.
The report notes staff had heard clearly last year from area residents the desire to investigate the provision of seasonal permit parking and it’s being tested in the Seashell Gate subdivision, which is situated directly adjacent to the park. Parking is only allowed in that area with vehicles displaying a valid permit.
Staff are now proposing to implement a broader pilot program, encompassing the entire Boundary Bay neighbourhood.
Residents will be provided permits to allow them to park on the streets and boulevards without any time limitations.
For visitors, there will be some limited-time parking availability along 4th Avenue, 3rd Avenue, 1A Avenue by the boat launch, and 66th Street south of 1A Avenue at the frontage of the Farm Roots Mini School.
Approximately 65 time-limited parking spaces will be available within the Boundary Bay neighbourhood.
The parking lots at Boundary Bay Regional Park and Deas Island Regional Park were already closed by Metro Vancouver due to COVID-19 concerns
The pilot permit parking program will be in effect until Aug. 31 and staff will report back on the feedback received following the summer season.
In addition to the approved recommendations, staff have restricted any parking along the 400-to-500 block of Centennial Parkway closest to the park and also established permanent "No Stopping" signs adjacent to the park entrance on Boundary Bay Road, where cars were illegally parking on bike lanes and the vegetated boulevard, the report adds.
Delta police also had an officer stationed at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Boundary Bay Road to address regional visitor traffic from entering the neighbourhood during the Easter long weekend with approximately 600 vehicles turned around on Saturday, April 11th.
“A key consideration is the total number of parking spaces available at the Park. There currently is the main parking lot and also an overflow lot that can provide up to 640 parking spaces. The popularity of the park is exemplified by the total number of daily visitors that can number up to 7,000 per day during a holiday long weekend,” the report states.
“It is incumbent on Metro Vancouver to better regulate the number of users during key periods to reduce the overflow of vehicles into the local community.”
The regional district will be requested to implement policies to ensure park visitors do not exceed the capacity of the available parking during key periods.
