It's time to rethink Guelph's overnight parking rules, says one Guelph woman who has a stack of parking tickets to back up her argument.
It's not a new topic by any stretch. The thought of discussing the topic hit a brick wall at Guelph council in 2020, when councillor Rodrigo Goller brought it up.
But after spending the last few years dealing with hundreds of dollars in parking tickets because of her situation, Daria Pidzamecky wants to see some new ideas.
Pidzamecky lives at a townhouse condo unit on Woodlawn Road, and was living a much different life than when she bought the unit in 2014.
She was single, and didn't need a second parking spot.
She did ask if a second spot could be available in the future, but the sales agent gave her a hard no.
"(The sales agent said) 'if we did have to offer a second one, then the builder is not going to be able to build as many homes,'" said. "It was just basically 'you're out of luck.'"
But like many, time passes and situations change.
Now, Pidzamecky has a husband, is a mother to a three-year-old daughter, and the family has two vehicles – one being a work truck her partner takes to work each day.
"We do need to have a second vehicle," Pidzamecky said. "(My daughter's) in swimming, I take her out to Tiny Town and all those places during the week, and I also volunteer with a dance group in Hamilton."
She said she feels the majority of families in the city need a second vehicle.
However, with just the one parking space available, Pidzamecky has had to park on the road and hope there's no ticket on her windshield the next morning.
As it stands, Guelph's overnight parking ban is in place between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from Dec. 1 to April 1.
Outside those dates, residents outside the downtown area can apply for short-term exemptions to park on the street overnight.
But it's limited to two vehicles per exemption for a maximum of two days, and you can apply for up to 12 exemptions a year.
To compare, Kitchener's parking exemption application is open Dec. 1 to March 31, with up to five exemptions, unless snow plow activity is needed and the city declares what it calls a snow event.
Otherwise, residents can park on the street in a legal spot without issue, as long as it meets certain criteria.
When Goller tabled a suggestion to talk about reviewing – and possibly eliminating – the ban for overnight on-street parking during the winter months, but the council of the day voted 9-4 against moving forward.
The proposed system would have alerted residents to temporary restrictions, such as residential street plowing.
With the ban still in place, Pidzamecky has received 10 parking tickets, equalling a total of $400, since Dec. 1.
Ward 1 councillor Dan Gibson – who was one of the councillors in the minority in the 2020 vote – said a notification system wouldn't be a bad idea.
In fact, there is already a notification system in place, Alert Guelph, even with a parking ban bylaw still active.
"I don't see why we couldn't be more responsive that way," he said. "But that's a conversation for council (to have)."
Gibson said we're so far ahead, and much more connected than we were a decade ago, that short-term notices to get cars off the streets when plows come out is possible.
He added in this case, he's sympathetic and noted there's a lot of dead end space in the area.
"One of the questions I posed to staff is (about how) we maintain it from a snow plowing perspective, but there's no through traffic in the winter time down to the sports fields," Gibson said.
"So is there an opportunity to create some overflow parking in that specific location so that people can avoid the overnight parking bans and get their cars off the street."
Another idea Pidzamecky brought up is to look at bans on alternating sides of the street during plow outs, allowing for plows to do their work while residents can still park on the road.
"It happens in Toronto, it happens in Montreal, all these other cities – which are large cities – do it," Pidzamecky said. "I don't know why Guelph can't."
Until then, it's a tough situation. And the easy answer to some would be to find a new home with more driveway space.
Easier said than done, said Pidzamecky, noting it's difficult to just pack up and find a new place to live, especially in the current housing climate.
"I just want (council) to honestly look at it," she said.
"People's lives change. They can't just pick up and sell their unit, and move somewhere with a driveway if they end up getting a car."
She said Guelph is a commuter city, and "we need to start thinking about it that way."
