Calgary city council has shelved the idea of charging for all spaces at LRT park-and-ride lots, putting it on hold until after the 2017 municipal election.

"The idea of 100 per cent paid parking is not dead — though I would love to kill it," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who has been among the more vocal opponents of the idea.

"But it is certainly deferred in favour of a number of things that make a lot more sense for the consumer," he added.

Currently, half of the parking spaces at any given lot are reserved at a price of $85 a month.

The other half of the parking spaces are free on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning there is no guarantee a free spot will be available on a particular day.

There are about 7,000 people on wait lists for a reserved spot.

City staff had suggested moving to 100 per cent monthly reserved parking at C-Train lots city-wide, saying it could better manage demand and boost revenue for Calgary Transit.

Council voted Monday to have that idea reviewed, with city staff reporting back in early 2018, while also looking at other ways to both raise revenues and cut costs for Calgary Transit.

Nenshi said the other ideas for transit could include things like a daily fee for parking, creating parking partnerships with property owners near C-Train stations, as well as the potential of charging out-of-town residents a larger fee for parking.

Calgary Transit used to charge $3 per day for parking at C-Train stations, but the pay stations were removed after the 2010 election, when council voted to end the charge.​