By Pepper Parr
October 24, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
People parking on the shoulder of the road along the rural part of Guelph Line are getting parking tickets and they don’t understand why. “This concerns a parking ticket I received recently off Walkers Line near the entrance to the Bruce Trail hike that goes up to Mount Nemo” said a citizen.
“My family has been hiking up to Mount Nemo several times a year for at least 15 years and parking on the shoulder either on Walkers Line or No 2 Side Road.”
“There are several places with no signs saying parking is not permitted . Last year we checked with an officer who was handing out tickets and he claimed we could park on the shoulder where there are no signs.”
“This is what we did – parked on the south side of No 2 Side Road. But we were ticketed in any case. And now we are told that we should know that there is no parking allowed on any shoulder. This means that ALL the hikers (and there are many) using this trail are parking illegally. It seems that the Bruce Trail is ‘the spider’s web’ and that Burlington parking authority is the ‘spider’.”
“This is totally unfair and unjust. Either put up signs that there is no parking allowed or stop handing out tickets.”
Bruce Trail access off Guelph Line is used by hundreds each week – some are getting smacked with parking tickets. City has worked out a solution.
Bruce Zvaniga, Director of Transportation Services seems to agree there is a problem and has said the “quick solution, we will be permitting parking in a signed area on the east side of Walkers Line, north of No.2 Side Road adjacent to the cemetery, where the shoulder is wider. “
Zvaniga adds that “ Parking is unsafe and illegal on roadway shoulders and this offence is not generally signed (because it applies everywhere).
“However”, he adds “we absolutely want to encourage walking – the Bruce Trail is a gem. We are definitely not seeking to issue tickets so we are proactively looking for a solution.”
“Our preferred solution that we are working on in parallel, is to have a small off-road parking area provided on the west side adjacent to the Bruce Trail entry point. This location would be safer, more convenient and not require pedestrians to cross Walkers Line. To accomplish this, we will need the cooperation and assistance of Conservation Halton who have ownership of the land.”
“In addition, this location will be the catalyst for a broader discussion with the Bruce Trail, Conservation Halton and ourselves about providing safe, legal parking areas that will allow people to enjoy the trail.”
Perhaps you can’t beat city hall – but you can get them to see things a little differently you just have to talk to them – and a little media attention doesn’t hurt.
