City to crack down on parents parked illegally in school zones

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/04/2017 (3176 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Parents are about to get schooled, and they’ll pay for the lesson.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority has had it with drivers who ignore parking regulations in front of and near schools when they drop off and pick up their kids.

So the city is cracking down; park illegally — even for “just a sec” — and there could may a ticket in your future.

“It’s a citywide issue, illegal parking around schools,” Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), the city’s liaison for school boards, said at the campaign’s launch Tuesday at Tyndall Park Community School.

The program starts May 1 and also includes illegal parking in fire lanes and in spaces designated for people with disabilities. Most infractions are brief; mailing a letter or picking up a prescription, for example. But the consequences for people who need access can be significant and, in the case of emergency-response vehicles, compromise safety.

Chris Sobkowicz, the city’s access advisory committee co-ordinator, said able-bodied drivers regularly park in spots designated for the disabled.

“There’s tremendous abuse,” said Sobkowicz, who uses a wheelchair.

The city has vehicles equipped with four cameras, including two affixed to their roofs, to spot parking infractions and record licence plates, said Ryan Arabsky, Winnipeg Parking Authority manager of regulations and compliance.

Authority employees will drive around schools and let cameras catch offenders. Notices with fine amounts will follow in the mail.

The parking authority took in about $7 million in parking tickets last year, Arabsky said.

“People are going to say (the campaign) is a cash cow,” Mayes said.

But it will ultimately make streets safer for schoolchildren, he said.