Carpool Parking Spaces

Hi Shelley,

many post-secondary institutions are using parking as an incentive to encourage carpooling. In Canada, the two that come to mind first are Langara College in Vancouver and Mount Royal College in Calgary. Langara has a large number of dedicated carpool parking spaces. The spaces are reserved for carpoolers until 10:00am each day. There is no fee reduction (and therefore no lost revenue) as parking is in very high demand, the convenience of a reserved space in a good location (spaces are close to entrances) seem to be the only incentive needed. Enforcement is random and self-policing is encouraged. Langara has also changed their parking payment policies... it can now only be purchased daily, rather than by semester or term. This is another way to discourage long-term commitments to driving. http://www.langara.bc.ca/news/construction/parkingfall.html Mount Royal College in Calgary has also introduced a comprehensive TDM program with carpooling as one of the options. More information is available from the link below. They use many incentives including location, a discount and access to a Guaranteed Ride Home program. Spots are reserved from 6:00am - 10:00am and then open to general parking. http://www.mtroyal.ab.ca/parking/carpool.shtml Enforcement can be a problem in post-secondary settings. To discourage abuse, I would recommend that all members of any carpool pay an equal portion of the parking fee.

Good luck with your program!
Anne Marie

Anne Marie Thornton
Carpool.ca
Web: www.carpool.ca
www.schoolpool.ca
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 800.668.RIDE
Fax: 250.743.8000

Hello Shelley,

The Region of Durham has introduced carpool parking spots this summer. I believe the Region of Peel and City of Richmond Hill (all within the Greater Toronto Area) also has carpool spots, as part of their Smart Commute initiative. For information on Smart Commute go to http://www.smartcommute.ca/ Durham has assigned 10 spaces (prime spots, relatively close to the front door) to the carpool program. Each spot is signed, and carpoolers are required to display a permit in their windshield. It is primarily being based on the honour system, with no real ability to enforce the program. When people without the proper permit park in a designated spot, a note is left on their windshield, informing them of the Region's car pool program, and an email is also sent to all employees with the license plate and car description requesting that the vehicle be moved. Enforcement is an issue , but there are other reserved spots in our parking lot (i.e. for Department Heads, and a United Way raffle winner) that have the same issues.

Regards,
Lori Riviere

Lori Riviere, MES, MCIP,
RPP Project Planner
Policy Planning & Special Studies
Planning Department,
Region of Durham
605 Rossland Road East,
P.O. Box 623 Whitby, ON L1N 6A3
Ph: 905-668-4113 x 2572
Fax: 905-666-6208
[email protected]

On a related note ...

Ikea to introduce anti-idling program, hybrid preferential parking spots
CBC News

Drivers of hybrid cars can expect to get a plum parking spot at Ikea stores in Canada thanks to a new program designed to reward green consumers. Starting May 16, the Swedish furniture retailer will dedicate two spots near the front of the store for hybrid vehicles. Ikea spokeswoman Debbie McDowell notes that drivers of low-emission cars can also make use of the spots. "At this time we're saying hybrids but it's really open to people driving what we also are considering low-emission vehicles - anything that falls under the recent federal government incentive program would apply," she said. McDowell said the company's U.S. counterparts have also expressed interest in the program as something they might choose to pursue, as well. The company will also be introducing an anti-idling policy in their parking lots, reminding consumers to turn off their engines while loading up their cars. "Usually we have a lot of people loading their car full of merchandise in our loading docks," McDowell said. "We're really asking in a nice way customers to be green and to turn their engines off while loading their cars, so that's at least an offshoot of this particular green parking." But environmentalists say the program could be extended even further. Emily Moorehouse, an atmosphere and energy campaigner with the Sierra Club, said the company should consider encouraging people to use public transit to get to their stores and offer free delivery for those consumers. "It seems more of a symbolic step that won't really have much of an impact when in fact they could be doing a lot more in terms of encouraging people to make the transformation necessary, and to help people who don't use their cars in order to purchase their goods," she said. Moorehouse said she also hoped the company would consider decreasing their energy use in their stores. --- AND --- Ontario would issue green licence plates http://www.thestar.com/article/244351 Provincial program to encourage eco-friendly behaviour might include restricted access to commuter lanes Aug 08, 2007 02:44 PM Canadian Press Climate-conscious motorists who pilot a Prius or scoot around in a Smart car could find themselves parking for free or passing in the car-pool lane under an aggressive new incentive program unveiled today in Canada's most polluted province. By this time next year, provided Ontario's Liberal government is re-elected in October, Ontario residents who buy environmentally friendly, low-emission cars and trucks would get a green-hued licence plate that entitles them to such possible perks as free parking and access to high-capacity commuter lanes. The so-called "eco-licence" plate is one of three green transportation policies that the province is hoping will encourage commuters and businesses alike to factor the environment into their spending decisions. "This is another way of us helping Ontarians go green," Environment Minister Laurel Broten told a news conference. "Now we're saying we're going to also put some more factors on that table to help you make a decision that's good for your family and good for the environment." Broten said the government will consult with vehicle manufacturers and environmental groups to design a rating system that identifies the cleanest cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Drivers of those vehicles would get the special licence plate, which would entitle them to added rewards. Those incentives haven't been determined yet and will be chosen during the consultation process, said Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield. Environmental Defence policy director Aaron Freeman said he's hopeful the idea will take off across Canada, and suggested that green-plated drivers should also get a break on their annual vehicle registration fees. The program would have a lot of visual appeal, Freeman said, giving people a way to proudly showcase their commitment to environmental causes and provide peer pressure to motivate others on the highway to go green. "There is a greatly heightened sense of awareness surrounding environmental issues and it has become, I think, an admirable trait to drive fuel-efficent vehicles and to have visible signs you are environmentally friendly." The sight of motorists whizzing past traffic in car-pool lanes and snagging free parking spots in downtown areas could also be a big incentive to influence purchases, he said. Plus, it would also encourage multi-vehicle families to use their low-emission cars more often and drive their gas-guzzling trucks only when absolutely necessary, Freeman added. The licence plates are expected to be launched by spring 2008. The transportation plan also includes a $15-million pilot project to help businesses convert to more environmentally friendly technologies, like hybrid power. Some of that money will go toward cleaning up 1,000 medium-sized commercial vehicles, which have been identified as bad polluters, Broten said. The province also plans to beef up its use of cleaner fuel for its own fleet of government vehicles by installing two new ethanol fuelling stations in London, Ont., southwest of Toronto, and Peterborough, an hour's drive northeast. The new facilities could also be made available to municipal fleets once they're operational. New Democrat critic Peter Tabuns said he was unimpressed by the announcement, which he called "small potatoes given the scope of the problem before us." "It's a pretty minor item - I don't know if it'd call a press conference over something like this," he said of the new plate. "My guess is it would be a very minor impact in terms of people's decision-making in these matters." But Broten said each little action can have a significant, cumulative impact in protecting the environment. "All of those steps add up, all of those steps count - they give all Ontarians the opportunity to make choices that contribute to a healthier environment." Conservative critic Laurie Scott said she has her doubts about the government's motives, given that they're announcing the plan in the dying weeks of their four-year mandate. "They're asking for consultation and they've been here for four years," Scott said. "It's ridiculous what have they been doing. They're holding photo ops for consultations that could've happened anytime in the last four years."

New ABC sit-com Carpoolers

http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/carpoolers/index?u=0

SERIES PREMIERE: October 2 at 8:30/7:30c

There are men who actively try and figure out the world -- together. These men are more complicated than we might think -- they have hopes, ambitions, families, careers, and insecurities. These men are the Carpoolers; four guys, living different versions of the modern suburban family life who obsess, dream, and strategize as they rocket their way up and down the carpool lane every day. Like strangers on a train, Gracen, Laird, Aubrey, and Dougie can't stop what leaks out from their heads. Fears: "Ever have that dream where your teeth don't fit..?" Obsessions: "I think my wife is making more money than me..." "I think my son does..." Inner-longings: "Think of all the girls in high school that we should have had sex with when we had the chance -- not that we had the chance." The comically mundane: "I'm a killer, I'm a man of action. I'm a dentist." To the just plain practical: "Never recycle -- your neighbors will just be able to see what a boozer you are." We'll watch as these complimentary men (meaning they are flawed in different ways) muse and get entangled in each others lives and personal relationships. Their trek to and from work is the jumping off point each week as our four guys rile one another up and then attempt to deal with the complications and problems of life. Executive Producer/Writer Bruce McCulloch (Kids In The Hall) and Emmy Award-winning Executive Producers/Directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Arrested Development) bring this hilarious new take on the intricacies of modern male life to the screen. Every day at 65 mph, this unique group of Carpoolers speak freely because they know "what happens in the carpool lane, stays in the carpool lane."

Anne Marie Thornton

Carpool.ca
www.schoolpool.ca
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 800.668.RIDE
Fax: 250.743.8000