September 29, 1998
To:East York Community Council
From:Andrew Koropeski, Director, Transportation Services District 1
Subject:Parking Restrictions on Randolph Road
Purpose:
To report to the October 14, 1998, meeting of the East York Community Council regarding a
request to remove parking restrictions on Randolph Road, between McRae Drive and
Markham Avenue.
Financial Implications:
There are no financial implications.
Recommendations:
"It is recommended that:
(1)the Clerks Department be directed to conduct a formal poll of the residents of Randolph
Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue to determine support for the removal of
the existing "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m." restriction;
(2)the Clerks Department be directed to conduct a formal poll of the residents of Randolph
Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue to determine support for the
implementation of overnight permit parking and;
(2)the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to
give effect thereto."
Background:
The East York Community Council at its meeting on July 22, 1998, received a petition from
residents of Randolph Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue, requesting that the
parking restrictions within this block be lifted. The East York Community Council
subsequently requested that the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services report on
the concerns and requests of the residents as outlined in the petition.
Comments:
Parking on Randolph Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue, is presently
regulated by a signed "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction on
both sides of the street. There is also a "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the east side of
the street between McRae Drive and a point 88.5 metres south (across the street from the fire
station), a "15 Minute Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction on the
west side of the street between McRae Drive and a point 47 metres south of McRae Drive,
and a "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the west side from a point 47 metres south of
McRae Drive to a point 67.5 metres south of McRae Drive (adjacent to the fire station).
Appendix 'A' illustrates the existing parking regulations.
The "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction is a common
regulation in effect on both sides of Randolph Road from Kenrae Road to Parkhurst
Boulevard. The restriction was implemented on each block presumably to address concerns of
motorists regularly parking on Randolph Road to visit the adjacent commercial areas on Laird
Drive and on McRae Drive.
- Removal of Signed Parking Restriction
The petition submitted by the residents of Randolph Road states that they wish to remove the
existing "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction on the block
between McRae Drive and Markham Road.
This restriction was implemented in 1992 following the receipt of a petition from the residents
to change the previous "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday"
restriction on the west side of the street to a "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to
Friday" restriction because visitors to the adjacent commercial properties used this block to
park, often longer than the permitted one hour. Since enforcement of a time-restricted parking
regulation requires that parking enforcement staff attend a location twice to tag an offender
that stays beyond the one-hour limit, the Police at that time had difficulty in providing this
enforcement. Therefore, the petition was submitted by the residents to change the one-hour
parking regulation to a "No Parking" restriction.
The residents should be aware that if this "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to
Friday" restriction is removed, the street will be regulated by the unsigned 3-hour parking
bylaw, which is enforced on a complaint basis. It is possible that the parking concerns that
residents had prior to 1992, regarding vehicles from the commercial areas parking on the
street, may return if this "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction is
removed. Therefore, staff recommend that the Clerks Department conduct a formal poll of all
residents on the block to ascertain support for removal of the signed "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction.
- Removal of the Unsigned Three-hour Parking Regulation
The residents also state in their petition that they want the ban on overnight parking removed.
While there is no such ban on overnight parking on this block, this block is regulated by the
unsigned three-hour parking regulation outside of the hours when the signed "No Parking,
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction is in effect
The unsigned three-hour parking regulation is in place on all streets in the City of Toronto that
are not otherwise regulated by a signed parking restriction. This regulation enables
enforcement measures to be taken in cases where vehicles are left on the street for extended
periods. Without it, vehicles could park indefinitely on the street, causing problems for street
maintenance, cleaning and snow removal, and for other residents wishing to park on the street.
The Uniform Traffic By-law does not provide for the removal of this restriction on specific
streets for these reasons. It should also be noted that the three-hour parking regulation is
enforced only when a complaint is received from a resident of that block. Otherwise parking
enforcement does not take place.
To address the concern of the residents who are being tagged for parking more than three
hours, it is possible for overnight permit parking to be implemented on the block. By
purchasing a permit ($50.00 plus GST for 6 months), residents would be able to park
overnight without being subject to tagging. The petition submitted by the residents of
Randolph Road did not specifically state support for an overnight permit parking restriction.
However, to expedite the process, we recommend that a formal poll be conducted by the
Clerks Department to gauge support for the implementation of overnight permit parking on
Randolph Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue.
Conclusion:
In 1992, residents of Randolph Road, between McRae Drive and Markham Avenue petitioned
to change the existing "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday"
restriction on the west side of the street to a "No Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to
Friday" restriction to address concerns about motorists attending the adjacent commercial
areas using this block to park all day, and the lack of enforcement of the restriction. Their
request was supported by Council and the parking restrictions were subsequently changed.
In 1998, approximately 43 percent of the residents are now petitioning to remove the "No
Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction on both sides of the street. It
should be noted that the concerns raised in 1992 about vehicles parking on the street daily
may occur again if the restrictions are removed. Therefore, it is recommended that the Clerks
Department conduct a formal poll of all residents of Randolph Road, between McRae Drive
and Markham Avenue, to ascertain support of the removal of the signed parking restrictions.
With respect to the request of residents to remove the restriction preventing parking overnight,
which is actually the three-hour parking regulation, the Uniform Traffic By-law does not
provide for the removal of the three-hour parking regulation on specific streets. This is
because vehicles would be able to park indefinitely on the street, causing street maintenance,
cleaning, and snow removal concerns. If residents wish to park on the street overnight, they
may submit a petition showing support for overnight permit parking. By obtaining a permit
for $50.00 plus GST for a 6 month period, they may park overnight without being subject to
tagging. Although the petition that was submitted did not specifically state support for
overnight permit parking, we recommend that the Clerks Department conduct a formal poll to
ascertain support in order to expedite the process for the residents.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
Bryan Muir, Transportation Technologist
(416) 778-2227
Director
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