A local parent is frustrated with a lack of parking at Lions Oval Public School during after-school pickup hours, and she said she needs to show up over an hour early to ensure she gets a parking space in the busy parking lot.
“My daughter's been going here for three years now. The whole time the parking has been pretty bad, but in the winter it's horrible,” said Corinne Argue. “We got like 20 spots here right now taken up by snowbanks, which really limits our parking.”
On top of a snowbank blocking a number of spaces in the lot, Argue suspects tenants at a neighbouring apartment building are also taking up spots in the lot — on top of school staff — leading to a situation where “you have cars driving circles, which is quite dangerous” during pickup hours.
“You can't park on the road because there's no parking all the way around here. If you do, somebody calls bylaw,” she said. “It's just ridiculous. There's no parking. I'm not the only parent that complains … we were standing there waiting for our kids the other day, and you got five or six other parents all complaining about this.”
Argue said she complained about the issue to the principal, but has yet to see any action taken on the issue.
“I emailed the principal, and she emailed me back saying that they're working with the plow guy, but nothing seems to be getting done about it,” she said. “I pointed out about the apartment building parking over here. She said, ‘Well, that's not supposed to happen,’ but once again, nothing's being done.”
With cars driving around the lot during pickup hours, Argue said she has safety concerns for children leaving the school, and she hopes to see something done to improve the situation.
“At least provide more parking for the parents, because it's quite dangerous,” she said. “All these cars drive around when you have kids walking across there every day.”
Simcoe County District School Board officials said parking areas at local schools can be "reduced due to snow accumulation," and that snow will be removed at Lions Oval this weekend.
"Dependent on need, removal of snow piles on school property may take place multiple times throughout the season," said Jamie Campbell, assistant manager of communications. "Simcoe County District School Board maintenance staff have arranged for snow removal to take place at Lions Oval Public School this weekend."
Campbell also encouraged families living within walking distance to use active transportation to schools when possible.
"Families who reside in walking zones are encouraged to use active modes of transportation such as walking or wheeling to school, when possible," she said. "Active school travel increases physical activity which contributes to a healthy lifestyle and well-being."
"In addition to the health benefits, reducing the number of vehicles used for student transportation improves air quality and enhances school safety by reducing traffic volumes at bell times."
