City of Kingston announces winter parking pilot project

The City of Kingston has announced they are trying out a new approach to winter parking bans. The topic was introduced to Kingston City Council at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.

The report that was presented to council at that time recommended the pilot be used to examine the benefits of a ‘weather-based’ approach to overnight parking, as opposed to a full ban.

According to a release from the City, starting Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022, the City will trial the new approach to winter parking bans:

• March and December: on-street overnight parking will be banned if the weather and conditions require it.
• January and February: on-street overnight parking will not be permitted.

“Keeping vehicles off the streets allows our crews to safely and effectively respond to winter weather, however, we know that during March and December we often have periods of time where no winter maintenance is required,” said Karen Santucci, Director of Public Works and Solid Waste. “We hope this change will make life easier for Kingstonians while allowing us to maintain our winter maintenance standards.”

Currently, the City of Kingston Winter Parking Regulations annually prohibits parking on any city street from December 1 to March 31, between the hours of 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. (In effect from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the streets that surround Kingston General Hospital). 

The new approach will be as follows, according to the City:

Blanket Ban  

During the months of January and February, the City typically sees more frequent snowstorms, which require snow plowing and snow removal operations. On-street parking is not permitted at all between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. and from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the streets that surround Kingston General Hospital. 

Weather-based ban 

During the months of March and December, when the City typically sees fewer snowstorms, on-street parking will only be banned if required due to the weather.

• A ban will be declared in advance of forecasted precipitation of more than 5cm of snow. Or if freezing rain is forecasted. Or any other time that it is deemed necessary to perform winter maintenance operations. 
• While the ban is in effect on-street parking is prohibited between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. and from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the streets that surround Kingston General Hospital. Once declared, the ban will remain in effect until the City announces it has ended and road surfaces have been effectively cleared/treated via plowing and/or sanding and snow removal operations. 
• The City will aim to announce winter parking restrictions by 4 p.m. 
• When a ban is declared the City will notify residents via the following methods  
  • Social media, follow the City on Twitter or Facebook 
  • Email notifications — sign up to receive City news releases

According to the release, the pilot project will conclude at the end of March 2023 and will be followed by a public engagement to gather feedback. Using data from the public engagement, the City said they will then assess the effectiveness of the program.

To learn more about this project, how it will work, and ways to stay informed, visit the City’s Winter Parking webpage for more information.