Participants at a motorcycle and scooter rally are meeting early on Saturday to tie up downtown parking spots.
Rally organizer Ian Tootil said the goal is to take one parking spot per bike to show city officials that is not a space-conscious way to park motorcycles.
“We are going to be occupying single-vehicle parking spaces and feeding metres, which is what we are legally required to do right now,” said Tootil.
COPE Coun. David Cadman introduced a motion in 2009 to designate low-cost and free on-street parking for scooters and motorcycles. It has not yet been accepted.
Tootil said he’s not asking for car spaces to be taken away or transformed. He’s requesting the space between the crosswalk and the last parking spot be for motorcycle and scooter parking.
Coun. Ellen Woodsworth, an avid motorcyclist, said she’s offered to attend Saturday’s rally.
“It’s a very simple solution, which frees up parking spaces, and gets more people onto bikes,” she said.
Woodsworth added she’s always worried about her motorcycle getting knocked over when parked between two cars.
The rally starts at 7:45 a.m. at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre in the East parking lot, under the Burrard Street Bridge.
