Burrows Avenue parking limit has 'stirred up a lot of rancour' in community: city staff

The city is putting a pause on a plan to limit parking on Burrows Avenue after an outcry from residents.

"We realize that this has stirred up a lot of rancour with the community and we want to resolve that with the community and the area councillor," David Patman, the city's head of transportation at Public Works, told councillors Tuesday.

Last month, the city sent a letter to people in the area, saying it would be removing about three parking spaces around every intersection on Burrows Avenue between Main Street and McPhillips Street.

The intention was to give drivers an easier time seeing down the street when turning and lower the number of collisions.

However, the William Whyte Residents' Association submitted a petition with more than 200 signatures opposed to the move.

Jeremy Zehr, with the association, told CTV News residents are concerned about safety in the area too, but feel the parking limit is not the answer.

"It is only going to inconvenience residents who live on Burrows who rely on street parking," Zehr said.

"Many of our blocks don't have back alley access, and so they rely heavily on street parking which we currently have and we don't want to lose that."

He said another concern comes when the snow flies. He said snow gets piled up around the intersections and drivers are not able to see clearly, which Zehr says is leading to more collisions.

"My wife and I observed 17 collisions in one winter on our corner alone," he said, adding they have only seen one collision in the same area in the summer.

"That to us, tells us that this is not a parking issue. It is a snow clearance issue, along with speeding and people going through stop signs."

Zehr shared his concerns, along with the petition from residents in the area, with the city's Public Works committee. On Tuesday evening, the Public Works committee gave the city 180 days to report back to the community committee on the matter.

-with files from CTV's Will Reimer