Seven-in-ten drivers say it is harder to find a parking spot in their municipality when they need one.
Vancouver, BC [December 14, 2021] – A sizeable majority of drivers in Metro Vancouver reject the notion of having to pay to park their cars on residential streets overnight, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample, almost two thirds of drivers in Metro Vancouver (64%) think it is a “bad idea” to charge a fee to vehicle owners who park their cars on residential streets overnight.
“More than three-in-five drivers in Surrey (62%) and Vancouver (61%) are not in favour of an overnight residential parking fee,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “In the rest of the Metro Vancouver region, 67% of drivers are opposed.”
A majority of drivers in Metro Vancouver (51%) say they have a garage and park their vehicle there, while 22% rely on a shared parkade. Just over one-in-ten (13%) say they have a garage, but do not park their vehicle inside it—including 16% of men and 15% of those who reside in Surrey.
Seven-in-ten drivers in Metro Vancouver (70%) say it is harder now to find a parking spot in their municipality when they need one, down 11 points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2018.
Over the past two years, 27% of drivers in Metro Vancouver acknowledge having received a parking ticket. Similar proportions of citations have been issued by municipalities (17%, -1) and by parking management companies (15%, -5).
Drivers in Vancouver are significantly more likely to report getting a parking ticket of any kind (40%, +12) than their counterparts in Surrey (22%, -11) and in other Metro Vancouver municipalities (20%, -13).
When asked how they dealt with the last parking ticket they were issued by a municipality, two thirds of offending drivers (68%, -8) say they paid quickly to get a discount, while 26% (+15) covered the full amount days later and 6% (-7) never paid it.
The situation is similar for tickets issued by a parking management company, with a majority of offending drivers (56%, +5) paying quickly, three-in-ten (30%,+15) covering the full amount later and 15% (-19) admitting to never paying the fine.
Drivers aged 55 and over who receive a parking ticket are significantly more likely to pay the fine early, whether the citation was issued by a municipality (86%) or by a parking management company (65%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from November 27 to November 29, 2021, among 521 adults in Metro Vancouver who drive to school or work on weekdays. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Metro Vancouver. The margin of error— which measures sample variability—is +/- 4.3 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490