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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLEG 10-21Report to Council Report Number: LEG 10-21 Date: June 28, 2021 From: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor Subject: Parking Control Measures at the City’s Waterfront -Current and Proposed Actions -File: L-2000 Recommendation: 1.That Report LEG 10-21 regarding parking control measures at the City’s waterfront be received; 2.That staff be directed to conduct a review of City parking fine amounts and report back toCouncil in September, 2021 regarding any fine increases required to provide effectivedeterrence to illegal parking; 3.That staff be directed to proceed with a public consultation prior to September, 2021 to obtain feedback from residents regarding: (i) the adequacy of the City’s current parkingmeasures and (ii) the proposal to implement paid permit parking, both on-street and atCity waterfront parking lots; 4.That staff be directed to report back to Council in September, 2021 with the results of the public consultation and recommended options for additional parking enforcement, including paid permit parking, and, if so directed by Council, that staff include suchadditional enforcement measures in the 2022 budget report; and 5.That appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the actions necessary toimplement the recommendations in this report. Executive Summary: Parking issues in waterfront residential areas are an ongoing problem in many of Ontario’s lakefront municipalities. While differing control measures have been enacted in each municipality, the primary goals are the same; maintaining traffic and pedestrian safety and limiting the impact of vehicle parking on area residents. While some lakefront municipalities have chosen to close their beaches during the pandemic, Pickering’s beaches remain open, and available parking is sometimes inadequate to accommodate the large influx of visitors, resident and non-resident alike. The City has introduced a number of enhanced measures to address increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic at and around Pickering’s waterfront. These measures include: (i) scheduling additional enforcement staff, especially at peak times, (ii) erecting temporary “no parking” signage to limit congestion and prevent vehicles from blocking streets, (iii) in especially high-volume areas, placing manned barricades, with City staff directing traffic away from the problem area, and (iv) implementing an “immediate tow” course of action for vehicles parking on grass boulevards, walkways and other areas where parking is prohibited. These measures LEG 10-21 June 28, 2021 Subject: Parking Control Measures at the City’s Waterfront Page 2 have been received favorably by area residents and appear to have addressed many of the most pressing parking concerns. Engineering Services staff are also considering the installation of further landscaping rocks or concrete barricades in specific locations to prevent vehicles from entering grassed areas. Further potential measures include increasing parking fines, the introduction of paid parking in City waterfront parking lots, and the introduction of paid permit parking on some select City streets. At the direction of Council, staff will study these potential measures. These measures would have a significant impact on residents, so it is important to carry out a comprehensive public consultation before implementing any of them. Financial Implications: There are no immediate financial implications to this report. After completion of the public consultation, staff will recommend additional parking enforcement measures, possibly including the adoption of paid permit parking. The costs associated with each of the options will be detailed in the 2022 budget report. Such costs could include new signage, as well as hardware and software systems required to administer paid permit parking. The anticipated increase to City revenues from any recommended parking fine increases will also be set out in staff’s subsequent report. Discussion: Waterfront parking issues escalated in the summer of 2020 with the implementation of various COVID regulations limiting recreation options for Ontario residents. With the continuation of these restrictions into the spring and summer of 2021, the City is again experiencing increased pressure on its waterfront areas from both residents and non-resident visitors. This pressure is expected to continue over the summer. While some lakefront municipalities have chosen to close their beaches during the pandemic, Pickering’s beaches remain open, and available parking is sometimes inadequate to accommodate the large influx of visitors. Pickering’s beaches provide a much-needed outdoor amenity at a time when Provincial public health orders limit our residents’ recreational opportunities. Access to the lakefront is important for the mental and physical wellbeing of Pickering’s residents, but the resulting traffic volume has created parking problems which may compromise pedestrian safety, block City streets and frustrate residents. As Council is aware, the City has already introduced a number of enhanced parking enforcement measures to address increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic at and around Pickering’s waterfront. These measures included scheduling additional enforcement staff, especially at peak times, and erecting temporary “no parking” signage to limit congestion and prevent vehicles from blocking streets. Parking Enforcement Officers adopted a zero tolerance approach to parking enforcement in the waterfront area. Despite these measures, waterfront parking continued to be extremely difficult to control during the excessively hot weather in early June. In response, staff set up a barricade at Westshore Boulevard and Beachpoint Promenade, manned by Operations staff, to limit vehicle access when parking areas were full. In addition, an “immediate tow” course of action was also implemented for vehicles parking on grass boulevards, walkways and other areas where LEG 10-21 June 28, 2021 Subject: Parking Control Measures at the City’s Waterfront Page 3 parking is prohibited. City social media postings alerted the public to the zero tolerance parking enforcement policy and warned that illegally parked vehicles would be towed. These measures had a significant impact on reducing parking issues, and they have been received favorably by area residents. On the weekend of June 5th and 6th, officers issued 99 tickets on Westshore Boulevard. With the introduction of towing and manned barricades on June 12th and 13th, only 10 parking tickets were issued on that same street. In total, 209 tickets were issued during the June 5-6 weekend, as compared to 101 tickets issued during the June 12-13 weekend. While the manned barricade reduced issues in the Westshore Boulevard area, it cannot completely resolve the problem of illegal parking nor be financially sustainable long term. Staff recommend that the City proceed with a comprehensive public consultation to obtain feedback from area residents regarding the adequacy of the City’s current parking measures as well as the proposal to implement paid permit parking, both on-street and at City waterfront parking lots. Public consultation is important because any proposal to adopt paid permit parking will have a significant impact on area residents and their visitors and guests. Upon completion of the public consultation, staff will report back to Council as to the advisability of, and possible options for, paid permit parking. Staff also recommend that the City’s parking fine amounts should now be reassessed with a view to increasing fine amounts to levels at which they will be effective deterrents to illegal parking. Prior to the pandemic, staff had begun a review of parking fines. The implementation of fine increases was deferred on compassionate grounds due to the pandemic. Given the escalation of illegal parking, especially in the waterfront area, the time has come to consider parking fine increases. Prepared By: Prepared/Approved/Endorsed By: Kimberly Thompson, Paul Bigioni, Manager, Municipal Law Enforcement Services Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor KT:kt Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Original Signed By:Original Signed By: Original Signed By: