It seems history is repeating itself for residents on Craigmillar Avenue.
St. John’s city council voted Monday evening to rescind the decades-long practice of allowing parking on the sidewalks there during the winter.
It’s something the city already attempted once before, in 2004, and ended up backpedalling within a couple of months after an outcry from residents.
Craigmillar Avenue residents were ticketed that winter for parking their cars on the sidewalk – a practice that, until then, had gone on for decades and which the city allowed until 2004.
In response, over 300 residents signed a petition asking that council allow the practice to continue in that area because they had nowhere else to park during the winter. One resident said he had cars side-swiped when he parked on the street.
By April that year, council voted in residents’ favour – making it a matter left to traffic enforcement discretion, who were told to recognize the past practice.
Whether area residents try to fight city hall again 14 years later remains to be seen, but they’d have at least one councillor on their side – the “snow disturber,” Coun. Sandy Hickman.
At least that’s what he jokingly called himself when he went against the popular opinion of all other councillors Monday evening and voted against the motion to rescind permission for sidewalk parking.
“That is a historic situation of a very special street that has very narrow properties that are really close to the sidewalk,” said Hickman.
“When we addressed this … years ago on council, the residents made a pretty strong case for a special situation.
“My main concern is we’re taking a situation that had been working for a number of years and we’re changing it so that now they have to find space along the margin of the road parallel parking, and I’m not sure there’s enough space there for all those cars.”
Hickman said there are many areas of the city where residents squeeze an extra car in their driveway during the winter months because the sidewalk isn’t cleared, and built-up snow is on the road, essentially extending driveways.
The other councillors didn’t see it the same way.
Coun. Debbie Hanlon said vehicles parked over sidewalks and sticking out into the road are “very dangerous.”
She said rescinding the previously communicated practice of allowing parking on sidewalks on Craigmillar Avenue would bring the area in line with the rules for the rest of the city.
Hanlon said the city will communicate with the residents and work closely with ward councillor Jamie Korab to ensure everyone gets the message.
Korab said it “may be unpopular with the residents on Craigmillar,” but welcomed them to contact himself or Hanlon if they had concerns.
Meanwhile, Coun. Maggie Burton called the residents’ long-standing winter practice “inconsiderate to pedestrians” and Coun. Hope Jamieson said she doesn’t “think there’s any universe where we should allow parking on a sidewalk.”
At that, Hickman mumbled, “Cowan Heights,” insinuating it’s a practice that’s also happening in that neighbourhood.
Deputy city manager Jason Sinyard said motorists are taking a chance on getting ticketed if they park on a sidewalk.
It was pointed out during the discussion that Craigmillar Avenue residents are also not allowed to park at a nearby church because it’s a permit parking lot.
Hickman said he felt council should have had a closer look at the motion before jumping to the conclusion to rescind the decades-long practice.
Twitter: @juanitamercer_
