The city could soon offer seasonal parking permits to allow residents in west Orillia to avoid infractions for various offences when overnight parking restrictions are in effect.
City council will vote Oct. 7 on whether to approve 24 new overnight spaces where residents can park between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. from Nov. 15 to April 15.
There will be seven spaces available in Walter Henry Park, four in West Ridge Park and 13 in the southern lot of Clayt French Park. The seasonal permit will come with a fee of $375, plus HST.
Ward 3 Coun. Jay Fallis feels strongly the permit program will be a success.
"It sounds as if this is kind of an organic program," he said. "We've been hearing from a lot of residents about the need for alternative parking options."
He says many residents don't have enough space in their driveway to accommodate their vehicles.
"This presents a viable alternative for them," he said. "We will look at adjusting the program in the future and expanding it based on what's feasible and possible."
During Monday's council meeting, Ward 4 Coun. Tim Lauer questioned how the program would be enforced. Shawn Crawford, director of legislative, building, parking and transit services, admitted enforcement could be challenging.
"The idea is that these permit holders would have a permit posted in their vehicle and they would need to move their vehicle by 7 a.m.," he explained. "If their vehicle is still there after 7 a.m. and their permit is posted, then it's to be presumed that they are parking past the time and they are not using the park."
Crawford says bylaw officers will first take a look around the park to see if a permit holder is possibly using its amenities.
"If there's no one utilizing the park at the time, then that would be the opportunity for the officer to issue a parking ticket," he said.
While Crawford says the new program isn't perfect, he feels it will be enforceable and says staff will do their best with the program.
Fallis believes the parking permits will be purchased quickly.
"We are going to wait to see how it plays out," he said. "We are certainly interested to see what the uptake is."
He says information about how residents can apply for the program will be made public following council's approval next month.
