Dear Editor:
Aggressive enforcement of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act has been introduced to Centre Wellington. Parking infractions that have gone unenforced for decades are now being enforced, so be aware!
One of Centre Wellington’s many local bylaws (CW Bylaw 5000-05-9.17) is catching motorists off guard. It states no person shall park a vehicle upon a highway within nine metres of an intersection.
The fine for violating this parking bylaw varies between $20 and $60 depending on how long it takes the offender to pay it.
Smith Street in Elora is a case in point. Drivers have been parking along it for decades not noticing that there are five intersections on its 200 meter length. This fact reduces legal parking considerably but there is no signage.
Elora Festival enthusiasts and parishioners have been parking roadside for years to attend events and services at St. John’s Church which has no parking lot. Tourists also park roadside since Smith Street offers easy access to Victoria Park, which only offers limited parking. So, on busy weekends, Smith Street is filled with roadside vehicles, many parked illegally since the drivers are unaware of the bylaw.
This results in dozens of tickets being issued in the course of a busy summer day. The festive atmosphere is ruined when motorists find their vehicles ticketed.
On the festival’s opening day last weekend, as theatregoers, performing artists, tourists and locals were trying to jockey for a place to park, shouting was heard when people began challenging the enforcement officers. Vehicles began manoeuvring to find legal places to park with the street full of pedestrians and cars weaving between them. The scene bordered on chaos.
If this bylaw is to be enforced, we need “no parking” signs or markings on Smith Street so that people can park safely and legally.
Glen Kachur,
Elora