A truck roars into the parking lot at RBC and pulls up to the building, sprawling over two spaces reserved for people with disabilities. A male driver runs out and into the bank, to use the ATM….
A red Toyota drives up to the Service Ontario office on Dissette St., and pulls into an accessible spot – marked by a painted symbol on the ground, and a sign affixed to the wall. Two women get out and walk into the office. There is no accessible parking permit displayed on the dash.
“The province provides guidelines for establishing accessible parking spots,” said Brent Lee, Manager of By-law Enforcement with the Town of BWG – including the number of spaces required, their location, signage, and the minimum fine of $300 for parking illegally in an accessible parking space without a accessible parking permit.
It is the municipality that enforces the regulations, through its by-laws – and the town is now looking at revisions to its Accessible Parking By-law.
In BWG there is a “two-tired” fine, noted Lee. Get caught parking in an accessible spot without a permit, and the set fine is $350; pay within 7 days, and the fine is reduced to the provincial minimum of $300.
“It’s a pretty stiff fine,” Lee said, but he admits it isn’t always enough to deter illegal parking.
He encourages anyone who sees vehicles parked in accessible spaces without a permit to contact By-law. It may take a while to nab the offender, but the department is persistent. “As like any parking offence, you need to catch them in the act,” he said. “We’re good at it. After a time, we do catch these people.”
Although, he said, it’s not always cut and dried: “In my experience, 90 to 95 per cent have a permit, they just forget to display it.” That in itself is technically an offence, but officers will work with the drivers to ensure compliance, reminding them that accessible parking permits must be displayed on the dashboard or sun visor when occupying an accessible space – and that permits are issued to an individual, not to a vehicle.
If Grandma holds the permit, grandma must actually be an occupant of the vehicle when it displays the permit.
One of the problems with enforcement is that there is a perfect hodgepodge of accessible parking signage in Bradford West Gwillimbury, not all of which is legal. Sometimes the painted symbol on the ground has faded to the point of invisibility, or can be obscured. The size and positioning of signs can vary.
The new Accessible Parking By-law will standardize the criteria for accessible parking and signage, and will contain “a lot more stringent regulations for us to approach property owners,” Lee said.
The by-law has already been vetted by the Town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and “our AODA expert,” and forwarded to Town Council for approval.
“It defines how the signage should be,” said Coun. Raj Sandhu, chair of the BWG Accessibility Advisory Committee. “It gives enforcement the power to go in and deal with the issues” – as well as increasing the fines, for parking in an accessible spot without a permit or parking in such a way that curb cuts or access aisles are blocked.
Once the new By-law passes, it should ensure that accessible parking spaces are more visible, standardized, and give enforcement more clout.
Some offenders when ticketed never make the same mistake again. Other drivers repeatedly gamble they won’t get caught.
“We do catch these people,” said Lee. “Accessible parking is something we take very seriously.”
To report a by-law infraction, contact 905-775-5366 ex. 1701. For after-hours serious complaints, relating to parking or noise, contact Police at 905-775-3311.
