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Council looks to results from parking study for solutions

January 27, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Town of New Tecumseth received a report from its planning department on Monday, Jan. 17, during a regular council meeting, regarding a study that was completed to help plan for short and long-term parking solutions in the downtowns and residential areas of Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham.

The report detailed findings from two staff-led parking studies that analyzed perceived and real parking issues.

Additionally, the report examined the impact of future parking demand on the town as the population continues to grow.

In the downtown areas, it was reported that generally, residents identified there is adequate or more than enough parking available, though it was indicated that it can be difficult to find a parking space during certain times. Staff reported that 21 per cent of survey respondents feel there is not enough parking downtown.

Residents and the Beeton-Tottenham Business Improvement Association (BTBIA) reported that there is not sufficient accessible parking in downtown areas.

In urban parking areas, street parking is the largest residential parking concern. Residents indicate that street parking is consistently at capacity, creates an unsafe environment regarding visibility and sightlines, does not provide flexibility or support for visitors and enforcement is not consistent or sufficient.

The majority of residents are not using their garages to park their everyday vehicles. As a result, residents are using street parking to accommodate parking needs or trying to fit more cars than the limits of the driveway allow.

In addition, illegal parking, overnight street parking, and parking within a landscaped boulevard contributes to an increase in town operational demands like snow plow maintenance.

As the town is expected to grow by a minimum of 40,000 residents by 2051, a combination of multi-residential, town, semi, and single-detached homes will be developed to accommodate this growth. Without alternative modes of transportation, the Town’s zoning by-law will require the creation of a minimum of approximately 36,000 new residential parking spaces. This does not include additional street parking spaces and parking spaces that would need to be created for commercial and institutional uses to service residents.

The report went on to detail several recommendations that could be put in place to accommodate future growth and parking needs.

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