Rules of the road: Georgina putting brakes on speeding, illegal parking

What you need to know about increased no-parking fines, waterfront no-parking zones and traffic calming bollards

Yorkregion.com
October 19, 2020

Speeding and illegal parking have plagued Georgina streets, especially along the lakefront. The town has created a number of programs to tackle the issue, from new community safety zones to increased parking fines and installing traffic bollards.

“Street safety is a primary concern to a number of residents, and not simply in one or two locations,” said Mike Waddington, Ward 1 councillor and chairperson of the town’s Safe Streets Committee.

“Asking York Region Police (YRP) to station a car at these locations over and over again isn’t an effective means to change speeding in the long term.”

Here are four changes coming to a street near you.

DON’T STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES:

The town designated most residential streets near the lake as part of the waterfront park buffer zone, and is looking to increase parking fines within that area where parking restrictions are already in place.

Currently, the fine for parking in the waterfront zone is set at $30 and $50 for no stopping.

Pending approval from the province, the town wants to increase parking fines within the zone to between $100 and $150.

“People are willing to park illegally because the fine is relatively minor,” said the town’s operations and infrastructure director Rob Flindall.

“Someone might be willing to pay a $30 ticket because they spent an hour driving here with their family and they’re not leaving.”

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The zone includes most residential streets between the shores of Lake Simcoe and:

• The Queensway South: Ravenshoe Road to Metro Road North;

• Metro Road North: The Queensway South to Dalton Road;

• Black River Road: Maple Avenue to Virginia Boulevard;

• Hwy. 48: Virginia Boulevard to Hwy. 23; and

• as well a number of streets on the south side of Metro Road North and Hedge Road.

SLOW DOWN:

In the spring, the town reduced speeds along Lake Drive North, Lake Drive East and Hedge Road from 40 to 30 km/h.

After further consultation, other through roads connecting Metro Road to the shores of Lake Simcoe were also reduced to 30 km/h including:

Coxwell Street        
Osbourne Street     
Curley Street
Raines Street         
Bouchier Street      
Boyers Road

The town is also implementing a community safety zone on Lake Drive South between Bayview Avenue and Ravenshoe Road.

EYE OF THE NEEDLE:

Earlier this summer, the town installed flexible bollards on Lake Drive East at De La Salle Park as part of the new community safety zone initiative. Based on a traffic study, speed through the area decreased by about 15 per cent.

“It sounds like a small amount, but that could very well be the difference between a fatal collision and one that is avoided all together,” Waddington said.

Be on the lookout for bollards on the following roadways in the spring, with more locations added each year:

Lake Drive east at Willow Beach Park    
Lake Drive South and Ravenshoe Road
Lake Drive south near Glenwoods Avenue       
John Link Way
Thornlodge Drive    
Joe Dales Drive
Glenwoods Avenue
Biscayne Boulevard
Carrick Avenue