MOUNT FOREST – Increased traffic congestion along Mount Forest Drive has compelled Wellington North council to step in and restrict parking along the road.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many vehicles – snowmobile trucks and trailers, in the Mount Forest area as I did on the weekend,” said councillor Dan Yake at the Jan. 25 meeting.
“Not only was Mount Forest Drive filled – so was the high school parking lot, so was the local restaurant parking lot.”
The increased traffic is a result of people looking to use open snowmobiling trails to get out of the house while the province is in lockdown, according to councillors.
“A lot of areas, especially North Bay and Parry Sound, the health unit has closed [their snowmobiling trails] due to COVID-19 so people have a limited number of places to snowmobile,” said councillor Lisa Hern.
The drastic increase in traffic has councillors worried about emergency vehicles being able to access the area.
Council approved a motion to make the area along Mount Forest Drive a towing zone for any vehicles parked in unauthorized spaces.
