THE City of Vancouver announced on Monday that it is introducing temporary changes to some operations to support essential workers and protect frontline staff during the current state of emergency.

Parking

The City is responding to the changing demands for parking, particularly for healthcare workers, by relaxing parking enforcement in several areas. Effective immediately, the City is temporarily suspending enforcement of the following:

·       Metered parking

·       Rush-hour zones

·       Residential permit-parking zones

·       Parking time limits, including the three-hour parking restriction

With residents doing their part by staying home as much as possible, traffic volume and parking demand have dropped significantly. As a result, the need to enforce certain types of parking is no longer required.

At the same time, many essential workers, including healthcare professionals, are working longer and more frequent shifts. The suspension of these parking-enforcement services will support the people who are working hard to keep our community safe and healthy.

For this initiative to work, the City is asking everyone to pitch in. To help ensure street parking is available for healthcare and essential workers who need the parking spaces, everyone is asked to avoid street parking if they have off-street options. This will open up spaces for those workers who need them most.

This is not a complete suspension of parking enforcement. Some measures are critical to keep Vancouver safe and its streets operational, particularly during these difficult times. Parking-enforcement officers will continue to provide this essential service by enforcing the following:

·       Parking in spots designated for people with disabilities

·       Safety violations (e.g., parking too close to a crosswalk, intersection or in front of a fire hydrant)

·       Impeding the movement of others (e.g., blocking a driveway or lane)

·       Special zones that must remain open for other purposes (e.g., goods-delivery loading zones, bus zones and bus stops, passenger pick-up and drop-off zones)

The City will monitor the situation and modify parking enforcement as needed, or if there are safety or community concerns.

Waste disposal and collection

To ensure the health and safety of staff, and to support the continued functioning of essential waste-collection and disposal services, the City is making changes to some of its waste and recycling services. Residents and business are also asked to change the way they manage their waste.

Recycling and disposal facilities

While now may seem like a good time to do spring cleaning, residents should note that access to our recycling and disposal facilities is being restricted to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Residents are strongly advised to visit these facilities only if absolutely necessary and to expect delays.

To encourage social distancing, people must arrive by car, not on foot, and cash/cheque payments are no longer permitted.

The following services have also been suspended or cancelled until further notice:

·       Foam packaging (Styrofoam) drop-off

·       Clothing and textiles drop-off

·       Compost sales at the landfill

·       Backyard composter sales

·       New drywall drop-off (used drywall is still accepted at Vancouver Landfill)

Residential curbside collection

Currently, garbage and green bin collections are continuing on their regular schedule. To further protect our frontline employees who are working hard to keep the City’s essential services operating, the public is asked to follow these guidelines for curbside collection.

·       Set out bins only when full

·       Put all personal waste (e.g., used tissues, cleaning cloths, face masks, gloves, sanitary wipes, paper towels, napkins) in plastic bags, tie securely and place in the garbage bin (do not put these items in the Green Bin)

·       If you are sick or caring for a sick person, double-bag all personal waste in plastic bags and tie securely before placing in the garbage

·       Unbagged or loose items in the garbage bin may result in your bin not being emptied

·       Do not dispose of wipes or cleaning cloths down the toilet, sink or drain, including those labelled “compostable” or “flushable” as they will clog the sewer system

·       Defer spring cleaning projects to help prevent overloading residential waste collection and depot facilities