New parking spaces will be bigger in Hamilton to accommodate a trend to larger vehicles.

City council's planning committee voted Tuesday to authorize staff to change the zoning bylaw so commercial, mixed use and eventually residential developments will need bigger parking spaces.

The change, which is pending city council approval, comes after city staff said Hamilton drivers are suffering more crunches and door dings as they drive increasingly large vehicles.

Right now, parking spaces vary depending on which area of Hamilton you're in. Sizes range from 2.6 metres wide by 5.5 metres long in Ancaster, to 2.7 metres by six metres in Stoney Creek.

Meanwhile, there are more large vehicles in the city. Of the top 12 most purchased vehicles in 2016, city staff say, many are bigger vehicles.

The most popular, for example, is the Ford F-150, which is 2.46 metres by 6.19 metres long.

This is the resolution city council's planning committee passed on Tuesday.

Parking spaces under the amended zoning bylaw will be at least three metres by 5.8 metres. The change will be incorporated into new commercial and mixed use zoning in June.

The change will also see minimum aisle widths for traffic in parking lots. City staff will also research ratios for visitor parking, on-street parking in residential neighbourhoods and having "small car" stalls.

No city councillors objected. Doug Conley, councillor for Ward 9 in upper Stoney Creek, said he gets numerous complaints about parking.

Brenda Johnson, councillor for Ward 11 in Glanbrook, said vehicles are so big that workers at coffee shop drive thrus have to "pass the coffee over on a tennis racket."

"I think I'm the only person in the world who drives a small car."

Graham McNally from the Hamilton/Burlington Society of Architects wasn't a fan of the idea. It seems outdated, he said, given that downtown condo developments are geared to the less car dependent.

The Connolly condo tower, for example, only has parking spaces for half the units.

"The city is very different if you're living downtown and working downtown," he said. "Maybe you're not going to pick up an F-150."

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC