Cul-de-sac parking rules should be overhauled: Councillor

September 11, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

If you have ever driven to a cul-de-sac and have been stumped on where to park, an option might become available if Councillor Paul Pirri gets his way.

Councillor Pirri is slated to introduce a notice of motion at this week’s Council meeting calling for a report paving the way for parking in the centre of certain courts. It is currently illegal in Aurora to park in the centre of a cul-de-sac, but Council direction could change that if the street meets certain criteria.

“I have heard from a few different people that they found out by getting a ticket [parking in a cul-de-sac] was illegal,” says Councillor Pirri. “It is something a lot of people do without knowing you’re not supposed to do it. To me, when some cul-de-sacs have an island at the centre of them, I don’t know what the difference would be between a physical island with trees planted in the middle of hem and in island, of sorts, of cars.
“I think a lot of people have had one or two bad experiences with finding out their cars are parked illegally.”

From his perspective, the problem with cul-de-sac parking stems from the angle in which driveways enter out onto the roads in question. There is not a lot of room to park on the sides of the roads in a densely packed court and when there is, it can be awkward and problematic.

If the Councillor introduces his notice of motion this month, he says it will note that lifting such parking bans would only be in effect during the summer months as during the winter, cul-de-sacs need space for snow cleared from the roads.

“Overall, I think some of the overnight parking laws also need to be looked at, but really I think the major issue is when people are having company or parties, these people need places to park,” he says. “I think it should be dictated by the size of the cul-de-sac, how much room is available, and how tight the diameter is.

“I think it would be easy to fit in some basic guidelines in terms of the size and, if it is too small, they wouldn’t be parking there. If it is large enough to accommodate it, it should.”

Councillor Pirri’s motion specifies such a report back to Council should look specifically at parking in the centre of cul-de-sacs during the summer months and, of course, cul-de-sacs which do not have centre islands.

If the Notice of Motion continues on its normal course, it will be up for Council debate on September 24.