Report to: General Committee Date
Report Authored: October 18, 2010
SUBJECT: Winter Parking Pilot
Program
PREPARED BY: Bill Snowball, Fire Chief, Fire & Emergency
Services, ext. 5982
David Porretta, Supervisor, Traffic
Operations, ext. 2040
RECOMMENDATION:
1)
That the report entitled,
“Winter Parking Pilot Program” be received;
2)
And that Council endorse the continuation
of the pilot project initiated in 2009 to restrict parking on the “even”
numbered side of the street, applicable to all municipal roads, from November
15, 2010 to April 15, 2011;
3)
And that the education and
communications campaign commence as soon as possible;
4)
And that The Winter Parking
Committee report back in Spring 2011, with the results of the pilot project;
5)
And that the funding for the
education and communications campaign be provided from the Operations Department operating account 700 998 5801
to an upset limit of $3500;
6)
And that Staff be authorized
and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable.
The report recommends that the winter pilot program be extended
to include the 2010 – 2011 winter season.
The objective of the pilot program is to resolve ongoing safety and
accessibility concerns for emergency & service vehicles during the winter
months, created by on-street parking activity.
During the 2007 – 2008 and 2008 – 2009 winter seasons, the
Town of Markham received above average snowfall. The excessive amount of snow created
significant challenges for emergency & service vehicles. This was further impacted by on-street
parking which significantly reduced the road width that had already been
compromised by the large snow windrows.
To address the ongoing concerns with safety and
accessibility during the winter months, a Winter Parking Committee was formed
to create a strategy that could be implemented to mitigate these concerns. Members of the Committee consist of one Councillor
and staff representatives from Operations, Fire Services, Bylaw Enforcement,
Waste Management and Communications & Community Relations Departments.
In November 2009, Council had approved the Committee’s
recommendation that a winter parking pilot program be implemented for the
2009-2010 winter season. The program
involved the voluntary restriction of parking on the “even” numbered side of
the street, for all municipal roads.
However, due to mild temperatures and lack of snowfall, the winter
season was not representative of typical winter conditions.
Need to address accessibility concerns on municipal roads
The Winter Parking Committee concluded that the primary
cause of the inaccessibility was due to on-street parking. The abundance of on-street parking on many municipal
roads creates significant challenges for emergency & service vehicles and
winter snow removal. On-street parking is restricted town-wide between 2:30am and 6:00am. Emergencies
can occur at anytime and snow clearing often has to be completed during the day
and evening to keep pace with ongoing snowfall.
Snowfall accumulation during the winter season results in
large snow windrows reducing the traveled portion of the road. This problem is compounded by on-street
parking. Several large municipal vehicles,
especially Fire Services vehicles, require a minimum unobstructed travel path
of at least 3.0 metres to safely negotiate a street. In many instances where cars are parked on
both sides of the street, this requirement cannot be achieved, thereby adversely
impacting response times.
Restricting parking during winter
months recommended
To voluntarily address this town-wide problem, the Winter
Parking Committee proposes that parking be restricted during winter months to
improve snow clearing and accessibility for all municipal streets. Because on-street parking is a valued and
sometimes essential component in many communities, it is recommended that
parking be restricted on the “even” numbered side of the street only. The “even” numbered side is typically located
on the north and east side of the street and is exposed to direct sunlight,
thereby increasing snowmelt. The “even” numbered parking restrictions would not
apply to streets where restricted parking already exists.
Communications plan will be created
to educate the public
Communications & Community Relations Department has
developed a communications plan to inform and educate the public on the program
and its purpose (see Appendix A). The
objective is to raise awareness among residents of the health and safety issues
associated with restricted access for emergency response vehicles on
residential streets. Various communication tactics will be used, including: the
Town website, advertising on the Town page and local newspapers, magazines,
information post cards, tax bill inserts, PSA release to all media outlets, a
poster campaign in community centres and libraries.
The Contact Centre will track and monitor resident calls.
Parking Enforcement Officers to issue
warning notices only
The parking restriction would again be considered as a
“pilot project” for the 2010-2011 winter season. During this time, any owners of vehicles not
participating in the pilot program will be given a notice as opposed to a
parking ticket. Notices will be issued
by Parking Control Officers advising of the pilot program. This notice serves several purposes, namely: it
educates residents without penalty; tracks notices to produce operational
reports on the effectiveness of the pilot program; identifies streets of concern
where odd number/even number prohibition is a concern.
Issuing parking notices and tracking functionality will
require modifying the existing “Parksmart” ticketing system. Staff will
monitor the amount of time involved issuing warnings in an effort to address
future budget impact.
Report back to Council in Spring 2011
At the end of the pilot project, the Committee will
evaluate the project and determine its level of success. The Committee will report back to Council in Spring 2011 with the results, and if determined to be effective,
Staff will recommend that a by-law be passed to implement the restriction on a permanent
basis, during subsequent winter seasons.
The cost to implement the Communications Plan for the
pilot program will be funded through Operations
Department operating account 700 998 5801to an upset limit of $3500.
Not applicable.
This report aligns with the community safety component of
Transportation and Municipal Services strategic priorities.
The Winter Parking Committee is comprised of staff from Operations,
Fire & Emergency Services, Bylaw Enforcement, Waste Management and
Communications & Community Relations Departments. All members of the committee participated in
writing this report and endorse the recommendations.
RECOMMENDED BY:
________________________ ________________________
Bill Snowball, Brenda Librecz,
Fire Chief, Fire & Emergency Services Commissioner, Community &
Fire Services
Appendix A – Communication Plan: Winter Parking Pilot
Program
Appendix B – Winter Parking Pilot Program 2009-2010
Statistics