Port Moody wants builders of future developments to pay more heed to accommodating alternate transportation options.
On Sept. 9, council’s city initiatives and planning committee will consider a new mandatory points system that rewards infrastructure and incentives designed to change travel behaviour away from single-occupied vehicles.
A staff report said measures proposed by developers — like providing bicycle parking or a car share service, as part of their rezoning application — are currently negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
But new provincial housing legislation, which gives municipalities more authority to require plans for managing transportation demand, has opened the door for the implementation of more rigorous and standardized requirements.
“These changes to the legislative context created an opportunity to improve the city’s approach to TDM [transportation demand management],” said the report.
If council endorses the new plan put together by Urban Systems, a community consulting firm, developers will be able to choose their approach to managing traffic demand from a list of 38 options, including measures to encourage active transportation, transit use and parking management.
They will then be given a score based on the impact the measures have on shifting transportation away from single-occupant vehicles, reducing the number of vehicle kilometres travelled and greenhouse gas emissions.
And measures that can work together to change behaviours can achieve a higher score.
Some of the measures to be scored include:
- enhanced bike parking that is sheltered from the elements
- additional parking spaces with EV charging facilities
- on-site daycare spaces
The report said the points system can be refined further based on feedback from developers.
“This approach will help ensure the requirements meaningfully promote sustainable transportation without placing an undue burden on applicants.”
MARIO BARTEL 