(Issued Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 11:15 a.m. EST) – The Town of Cobourg would like to remind residents to be courteous and respectful of neighbours, emergency responders and essential service workers by avoiding on-street parking whenever possible.
Residents are always encouraged to use designated parking spaces on personal property, whenever possible, to avoid frequent or long-term on-street parking which can cause inconveniences and obstructions to vehicles on the roadways. While this may be a challenging task for some people who have single driveways or not enough private parking for their household, it is important to strive to minimize on-street parking.
“The main function of a street is to transport vehicles from one location to another, and in order to do so efficiently it is best for a street to be free and clear of obstacles including parked vehicles,” says Laurie Wills, Director of the Public Works Division for the Town of Cobourg. “While we understand that on-street parking may be necessary in some cases, it is important that we consider not only our neighbours but also our emergency responders, couriers, snowplows, waste collection drivers and maintenance crews, so that everyone can utilize the street safely and appropriately.”
How the Town of Cobourg is helping to Mitigate On-Street Parking
Through the Zoning Bylaw (a municipal bylaw that regulates land uses in accordance with the Planning Act) the Town of Cobourg requires that all new developments have two (2) on-site parking spaces per unit (a garage is considered on-site parking), with slightly less required for apartments and multi-residential units.
The municipal road allowance can also generally facilitate parking in residential areas at all hours of the day and depending on the width of the road, there may be space for parking on both sides. However, on some roadways, there is simply not enough room for any parking (typically older streets in the downtown core). The Town of Cobourg is working towards ensuring on-street parking is designated clearly in new development subdivision agreements prior to Council approval, so the parking regulations are documented and approved prior to occupancy.
Although on-street parking is occasionally necessary when unloading a vehicle or moving, accommodating temporary guests or delivering goods for example, the Town of Cobourg is asking you to make every effort to ensure on-street parking in front of your home is a temporary option so that streets can stay clear for neighbours, emergency and essential services who use the streets regularly.