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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRPS-05-094 - School Zone Parking Enforcement ~ Report To: Date of Meeting: Submitted By: Prepared By: Ward(s) Involved: Date of Report: Report No.: Subject: Finance and Corporate Services Committee June 27, 2005 Gary Sosnoski, General Manager of Corporate Services and City Clerk Shayne Turner, Director of By-law Enforcement All June 21, 2005 CRPS-05-094 PARKING ENFORCEMENT IN SCHOOL ZONES RECOMMENDATION: That the school zone enforcement program, operated within the By-law Enforcement Division, be maintained on an on-going basis, at its' current service levels, as outlined in Reports CRPS- 04-137 and CRPS-05-094. BACKGROUND: Council, at its' meeting of August 30, 2004, considered Report CRPS-04-137 outlining a plan to address safety concerns associated with parking and stopping in school zones and adopted staff's recommendations. A copy of the recommendations is attached. As a result, the City's Traffic and Parking By-law was amended to create a specific violation of "stopping in a school zone". Subsequently, City staff sought and received approval of a set parking fine of $80.00 for this violation, which is double that of the normal "no stopping" violation. In addition, the By-law Enforcement Division increased its' service levels by implementing a team of officers to concentrate on school zone enforcement with the goal of checking every elementary school in the City (49 as of September 2004), at least once per week. This service level increase was substantially more than what was in place previously. In the initial program was implemented as a pilot program and staff indicated last August that they would provide Council with an update at the end of the 2004-2005 school year. REPORT: The vast majority of the feedback that staff have received from the Boards of Education, school council members, school staff and members of the public has been very positive. The perception is that safety in the school zones has, on an overall basis, shown definite improvement. Attached to this report is a brief summary of some of the comments provided to staff from various school officials, including an email letter from the Manager of Planning and Transportation. The implementation of a dedicated team of officers has resulted in a consistent approach across all schools and has allowed staff to interact with the various school officials who also monitor the pickup and drop off areas during the school day. Having said this, it is clear that there is still more work to be done. It is not likely that the problem will ever be completely solved, thus it is important to manage the issue as best as we can. As more and more parents choose to drive their children to school, the volume of traffic exceeds the capacity of the on-site facilities to the point where safety is seriously compromised. With this in mind, schools are increasingly restricting access to these on-site facilities which then continues to push the parking concerns onto the abutting street. It is the opinion of all involved that any decrease in the level of enforcement which has now been established, will most likely result in an increase in the occurrences of violations, thus increasing the safety concerns. As such, staff are recommending that the current service levels be maintained during the 10 month school year for the elementary schools within the City. An additional benefit of this program is that the team of officers has also been able to assist with other related parking concerns during their shifts, while not compromising their original purpose within the school zones. This has been an overall benefit to the Division as it has enabled staff to provide a better level of customer service for the complaints and inquiries received. On a related note, as part of staff's implementation plan, it was decided to address a concern with the Provincial Offences Act with respect to the way in which parking tickets are served and the number of people who drive away before the ticket can be served. In some instances, these "drive aways" are putting the school children's and officer's safety in jeopardy. In September of last year, a letter from Mayor Zehr was drafted and sent to Attorney General, Michael Bryant, requesting his Ministry review the provisions of the Act with respect to parking tickets (copy attached). To date, the City has not received any substantial response. However, staff are communicating with other municipalities wishing the same changes and have been corresponding with the Ontario Traffic Conference, who has decided to take on the issue (letter attached). With the help of the OTC, it is hoped that some momentum can be gained, with an aim to improving the provisions of the Act. With the onset of the 2005-2006 school year, staff will develop and implement a public education and awareness program, similar to what was done in September of 2004. In addition to the staff of the 2 school boards who have helped with the implementation of this program, it is appropriate to acknowledge several members of the public who have dedicated their own time to providing to this initiative. These individuals include Mr. Steve Bongelli, Mr. Gary Lesage and Mr. B.J. Springthorpe. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Based on staff's evaluation, including a review with Finance staff, the cost of the school zone enforcement program has been offset by the resulting parking fine revenue. As such, the By- law Enforcement Division has been able to implement a service level increase without an adverse impact on the Division's operating budget. COMMUNICATIONS: There is no corporate communications required at this time. However, staff will develop and implement a public education and awareness program for the start of the 2005-2006 school year in September. CONCLUSION: Overall, the school zone enforcement program has been successful in reducing safety concerns in school areas during the drop-off and pickup times. It is staff's opinion that the program should be maintained at its' current service levels, otherwise there is a definite risk that the safety concerns will increase if there is a service level decrease. In addition, the team of officers has also been able to assist other Enforcement staff with providing an enhanced level of response to the increasing number of calls for service received within the Division. The cost of the program has been offset by the resulting ticket fine revenue. As such, our service levels have increased without an adverse impact on the Division's operating budget. Shayne Turner Director of By-law Enforcement End