Civic politicians gave preliminary approval Monday night to a bylaw banning pay parking in Delta.
"I commend our staff, our mayor and council for taking a stand on parking," said Coun. Ian Paton.
The bylaw is the result of the municipality's opposition to TransLink's decision to implement fees at its park-and-ride lots.
TransLink has 13 park-and-ride facilities across the Lower Mainland, including a 200-stall lot in Ladner and a 72-stall lot in Tsawwassen.
Delta has control over both local lots, which gives the municipality the authority to prohibit pay parking.
The Tsawwassen lot is at the South Delta Recreation Centre and Delta has an informal agreement to allow commuters to park there.
Delta owns the land where the Ladner Exchange bus loop and park-and-ride are located and leases the site to TransLink for $51,000 a year.
The new bylaw will prohibit pay parking in all public use zones and park-and-ride locations.
While TransLink's initiative to charge for parking at its park-and-rides prompted the bylaw, the regulation will cover all public use zones.
This is not the first time the municipality has taken a stand against pay parking. In 2010, council passed a bylaw banning pay parking at Delta Hospital that thwarted the Fraser Health Authority's attempt to install parking meters.
In giving the bylaw preliminary approval Monday night, council waived the requirement for a public hearing, which moves it one step closer to final approval.
"I just think it's wonderful that council and staff enacted this bylaw to put or foot down," Paton said. "It's a good move on our part."
