14. Differentiate between current and future residents.

While this approach may somewhat reduce the effectiveness of parking policy, it is often necessary for the political feasibility of implementing residential parking pricing. The principle is straightforward: parking fees, permit allocations, and resident benefits should differ between current neighborhood residents and those who move in after the policy takes effect.

This effectively creates two groups of residents:

• legacy residents (existing residents at the time of policy implementation)

• newcomers (residents who move in after the policy is enacted)

How Differentiation Can Be Applied

For example, if the new policy sets a daily parking fee of 5 NIS and limits each household to one parking permit, existing households (legacy residents) could receive:

• a discounted parking rate

• a higher allocation of permits per household

• additional benefits, such as property tax rebates

Meanwhile, newcomers would adhere to the full policy without these legacy benefits.

Other Policy Considerations

This differentiation can be reinforced through other measures.

• As suggested in recommendation #5, new housing units in the neighborhood could be ineligible for residential street parking permits altogether.

• This system is particularly effective in high-demand neighborhoods with a large proportion of rental units and frequent tenant turnover. Over time, as the resident population gradually shifts, most of the neighborhood will eventually belong to newcomers, ensuring a smoother transition to the new policy without strong resistance from current residents.

While this approach introduces some complexity, it is a pragmatic political compromise that facilitates the adoption of effective parking management without excessive pushback from existing residents.

Making residential parking pricing politically feasible (created with Napkin ai)

In September 2017, the city of Vancouver, Canada significantly increased the price of residential parking permits in the West End neighborhood. The permit fee rose from $6 per month to $30, a rate that reflected the market price for a parking subscription in local garages.

To overcome political resistance, the original rate was maintained for existing residents, while only new residents were required to pay the updated fee.

The impact was immediate. After years of continuous growth in the number of parking permits issued, leading to a shortage of on-street parking, there was a sharp decline in permit applications. Within two years, the number of permits issued at the original price dropped by more than 3,500, while only 1,500 permits were issued at the new rate.

Despite population growth during this period, demand for on-street parking decreased, demonstrating the effectiveness of the policy in managing parking congestion.

Vancouver’s West End RPP trend (Brudner, 2023). Data obtained from the Parking Management Department of the City of Vancouver.