Port Hope council has unanimously supported amendments to a traffic and parking bylaw in an effort to address safety concerns during student drop-off and pick-up times in the area of Ganaraska Trail Public School.
The motion, approved at council’s committee-of-the-whole meeting Tuesday night, directs staff to bring forward amendments to Traffic and Parking By-law 39-2008 that would prohibit parking on the north side of Percival Street between Scriven Boulevard and Trefusis Street. The changes are designed to improve sightlines, reduce unsafe stopping behaviours and enable more consistent enforcement in the busy school zone.
The amendment will come before council for final approval at its regular meeting on March 17.
Councillor Claire Holloway Wadhwani said “I think this is very much needed and will make it a lot easier to control what has become an increasingly dangerous situation at drop-off and pick-up.”
Holloway Wadhwani said this has been one of the top issues she hears about as a councillor, noting that previous attempts to address the problem through informal measures have failed.
“Maybe it’s just because I’m a parent at that school so parents call me about this, but I hear about this regularly and have been for many years,” she remarked. “The school and municipality have tried painting lines on the road where you can’t park because it blocks sightlines, it prevents school buses from being able to get out and it really makes it dangerous for the kids walking. The school has been putting out pylons, people park in-between the pylons, people park beside the pylons. Everything other than making it a bylaw that can be ticketed has been tried.
“I’ve seen staff from the school try to enforce this issue. I don’t think it should be on the staff, teachers to be enforcing parking on our road. I’ve seen parents being belligerent and shouting at the teachers who are there just trying to keep things safe for these small children so I think this is a really good move. It’s taking responsibility for this road safety issue that really should be on us and I appreciate it.”
Councillor Darrell Toms, who said he picks up at the school daily, observed that increased enforcement presence in recent weeks has had unintended consequences. He believes the situation has actually gotten worse and “vehicles are hot-lapping the block.”
“That’s just my observation being there daily.”
Manager of Municipal Law Enforcement Dave Chatwell addressed the concern and described it as part of an ongoing education process.
“We’re hoping to help parents understand that that’s not the way,” he said. “We’re bringing Port Hope Police into those school zones to watch for anybody speeding along.”
The goal, he said, is to gradually reduce both illegal stopping and excessive circling to create a more orderly flow of traffic.
Mayor Olena Hankivsky asked if the municipality can ticket drivers creating dangerous situations.
Chatwell said new signage will enable bylaw staff to ticket drivers. Hankivsky clarified that she meant “high, high fines as opposed to just regular ticketing if they can’t be incentivized any other way.”
Chatwell said “we can look at a fine like that, like a no parking in a school zone and have that set at a higher fine. Under the new parking bylaw, that is definitely something we can look at doing.”
In addition to the site-specific prohibition on parking, the proposed amendments would grant the Director of Works and Engineering, or designate, delegated authority to erect and maintain traffic control signage for public safety and convenience without requiring explicit council approval each time.
According to the staff report, that authority reflects common municipal practice and would allow for faster, more efficient responses to emerging traffic safety concerns.
The amendment is considered a stop-gap measure. A comprehensive new parking and traffic bylaw is expected to be presented to council for information at the March regular meeting. However, it will not be enacted until the Administrative Monetary Penalty System is in place, meaning enforcement tools under the new framework are not yet available.
The estimated cost to purchase and install the required signage and posts is between $800 and $1,000, which can be accommodated within existing departmental operating budgets.
The report states a letter has been distributed to parents and guardians at Ganaraska Trail Public School advising them of the proposed signage and outlining the safety rationale for its installation. The communication emphasized student safety, traffic flow and the importance of compliance during peak periods.
No additional public engagement is planned at this time.
Councillor Todd Attridge questioned whether restricting parking on Percival Street would truly solve the problem or simply shift it to other roads and later expressed frustration that the situation has continued to this stage.
“It’s unfortunate the municipality has to impose bylaws because the school board isn’t taking care of the problem,” Attridge said.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
