A Vancouver Park Board commissioner is calling for the online reservation system for the Kitsilano Pool to be scrapped.
The city implemented the online reservation system during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some critics argue that it is inefficient and deters people who aren’t web-savvy from using the facility.
The current system holds about 20 per cent of its capacity for drop-in visitors. ABC Vancouver Park Commissioner Marie-Claire Howard is seeking to present an emergency motion at Monday night’s board meeting that would return the pool to drop-in access only, starting Aug. 1.
Howard said the park board has received “hundreds of emails” complaining about the system.
“People are asking that not only the reservation system be scrapped at Kits Pool, but at all the outdoor pools in Vancouver. So, yeah, overall, it’s very clear. No one likes it,” she told Global News.
“It creates these gaps between sessions. So you lose two hours a day, every day at every pool. That’s a total of 10 hours a day, which is the equivalent of having another pool in service.”
Howard said freeing up additional pool capacity is particularly important right now, given many of the city’s beaches are currently under a no-swimming advisory due to elevated E. coli levels.
Independent Park Board Chair Laura Christensen said the reservation system has both advantages and disadvantages, but that overall it works.
She acknowledged some pool time is lost during the reservation changeover time, but that under the drop-in only model some people camp out at the pool all day while others are left waiting in line for an unknown period of time until a space opens up.
“We’re getting more people through the pool because we have designated slots so that there’s more turnover in the pool so more people are able to access it,” she said.
“(The system) shows when we have space available for drop-ins, and that’s they’re not being used. I think that says that the capacity is available. Really, I think it’s an education thing to let people know that drop-ins are available and that they can come out.”
Christensen added that Howard’s motion may not actually be debated on Monday night, as it was not submitted in time to get on the agenda, and may not qualify for a last-minute addition as urgent business.