Parking bans around Kitchener’s Victoria Park coming this summer

Get ready for a bit of a walk, if you're headed to downtown Kitchener's Victoria Park this summer.

New parking restrictions could mean you'll need to park your car a bit further away.

Kitchener's Community and Infrastructure Services Committee has given its approval to three new parking bans:

• The north (even-numbered) side of Schneider Avenue between David Street and the entrance to Victoria Park
• The north (even-numbered) side of Dill Street between David Street and the entrance to Victoria Park
• The east (odd-numbered) side of David Street between Dill Street and Hilda Place

These would last 10 a.m. to 6 p.m from June 15 to September 15.

The existing parking prohibitions on the other side of these streets would stay in place.

The city's transportation planning manager Aaron McCrimmon-Jones said Kitchener staff have been getting complaints from neighbourhood residents because of traffic issues during the peak summer season.

“It has caused significant congestion and driver frustration, which has led to road rage incidents, as well as circumstances where access for emergency services would be severely constrained,” he told the city committee during a meeting Monday. 

The committee reached a compromise after neighbourhood residents wanted visitors to be able to park overnight.

Kitchener staff originally proposed parking be banned 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 1 to November 1.

Mayor Berry Vrbanovic asked staff to monitor David Street in the summer, with concern speeding may become a problem.

A full approval is still needed from Kitchener council April 11.