Some people rail at city hall when they get a parking ticket. Kristi McKechnie chose a different approach; she lobbied for change – an effort that will pay dividends for those seeking accessible parking at city hall.
McKechnie received a parking ticket while parking in the Tudhope Lot directly across from the Andrew Street entrance of the Orillia City Centre. It prompted her to write a letter to city council.
The reason she parked in the Tudhope Lot, she explained, is because the two accessible parking spots next to the main entrance of city hall, while closest to the building’s entrance, “present challenges to anyone who independently uses a wheelchair, and in fact increases the risk of injury.”
She explained how “the spots are on quite a slope which makes it very difficult to get both myself and my wheelchair in and out of the car. Both my wheelchair and my own body want to roll downhill,” she wrote.
With that in mind, she petitioned the city to create a designated barrier-free parking spot across the street at the Tudhope Lot. “That parking lot is currently where I choose to park because it has a level surface however, I'm not always guaranteed a spot wide enough to accommodate my needs and I sometimes need to take up more than one spot to ensure I have enough room to get into and out of my vehicle,” she wrote.
City staff investigated the concerns and considered options and decided McKechnie’s idea made the most sense.
They recommended to city council that three parking spaces among the 26 spaces in the Tudhope Lot be converted from standard metered parking to two free accessible parking spaces with a shared access aisle between the two spaces.
Staff estimate the cost of the changes at about $1,000. That would cover the cost of removing the old line markings and meters, installing new signs and creating new markings for the two accessible spots.
They also are not concerned about a loss of revenue. In 2017, the Tudhope Lot generated a revenue of about $3,700. Staff said “there is no projected loss of revenue” expected.
On Monday night, without nary a word of debate, council committee gave the project a green light. If ratified at its next meeting (April 9), the new spaces could be created soon after.
