Grey Highlands council has decided that parking will no longer be permitted on any side of the street during the winter months in the Amik subdivision near Kimberley.
Council made the decision at its meeting on Jan. 17 after hearing the news of a recent near miss that saw a municipal snow plow in the ditch because too many cars were parked on both sides of the road.
In an emotional presentation to council, Director of Transportation and Public Safety Chris Cornfield said a Grey Highlands snow plow operator recently was forced to stop on a steep hill in the Amik subdivision due to cars being parked on both sides of the road. The plow truck slid backwards until it hit the guardrail on the road. There were no injuries in the incident.
The Amik subdivision is located just outside of Kimberley and consists of a number of homes built on the side of the Niagara Escarpment, near the Talisman property. Because of its location, the subdivision has many steep and tricky roads. Cornfield said similar incidents between snow plows and parked cars have occurred in the past.
“This has been an ongoing issue. It is a very challenging geographic section of the road,” he said. “I am fairly passionate about this.”
Cornfield asked council to amend the municipality’s parking bylaw to prohibit parking at any time of the day on any Amik roads during the winter months. The current bylaw restricts parking from midnight to 7 a.m. from Nov. 1 to March 31 of every year.
The municipality does provide a parking lot at the base of the hill that is cleared of snow regularly for overflow parking for the Amik area.
“It allows (the bylaw enforcement officers) to issue tickets and possibly tow (cars) and the message will get through,” Cornfield said.
Council unanimously supported the request from Cornfield.
“We have to consider the safety of our staff,” said coun. Tom Allwood. “Enforcement is the key to making it effective. The message will get home.”
Coun. Paul Allen addressed the elephant in the room when he pointed out the Amik area is the location of many short-term accommodations.
“This is one of the downsides of having short-term accommodations in a residential area,” said Allen. “It’s not the residents who are doing it.”
An updated bylaw with the new parking restrictions will come to council on Feb. 7 for approval. The municipality will also mail notices to all Amik area residents and homeowners notifying them of the changes. Staff also said a large sign will be posted on the overflow parking lot at the base of the hill advising residents and visitors that an alternative parking lot is available.
