Winter Parking

At their meeting October 11, 2011 Carleton Place Town Council enacted significant changes to the Town's policy on winter parking. For more than fifty years Carleton Place has employed a total ban on parking overnight on town streets between November 15 and April 1 each year.

That system was put in place during an era when delivering a message to the entire community in a timely manner was difficult to accomplish. In today's environment the means of mass communication are extensive and easily accessible by most if not all citizens.

The new parking restrictions, which will take effect with the coming winter season are meant to mirror the system used by the City of Ottawa in order to reduce any possible confusion. In short this means:

1. Any time Environment Canada forecasts a snowfall of 7 cm or more an overnight parking ban will be in effect. This includes any forecast that calls for a range of snowfall exceeding 7 cm (ie. 5 to 10 cm).

2. When this ban is in effect parking is prohibited on all town streets between 11 pm and 7 am to allow for snow clearing operations. Vehicles parked in violation of the ban will be ticketed and towed to the Public Library Parking Lot at 101 Beckwith St.

3. The existing ban on parking on streets where snow removal operations are taking place remains in effect. With the new system signage will be placed on streets prior to snow removal in order to give people time to remove their vehicles. Vehicles that are not moved will be ticketed and towed to a nearby street.

4. Town staff have been directed to determine the most efficient means to notify the public when a parking ban has been issued. This will include notification being posted on the municipal website (http://www.carletonplace.ca/) and citizens are urged to check this website if in doubt. Additionally, since the system mirrors Ottawa's, residents should monitor local television and radio and if there is a parking ban in Ottawa, then there is also a ban in effect in Carleton Place.

Council is confident that these improvements to our winter parking restrictions will allow our citizens more flexibility in parking their vehicles while at the same time ensuring that our streets can be cleared of snow in a timely and efficient manner. Any resident with questions about the changes should feel free to contact Les Reynolds, Director of Protective Services at 613-257-5526 or lreynolds@carletonplace.ca for more information.