KINGSTON – The city plans to permanently close the gravel ring road through City Park to motorized vehicles.

The closure, set for Nov. 15, is a response to damage to the road and its use for parking by people going to Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Kingston General Hospital and Queen’s University.

It is also part of the city’s efforts to to fulfil council’s strategic priority of enhancing green spaces and improving walkability.

Parking along the road is designated for people using the park and overflow patient parking from the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario.

But the lure of free parking within walking distance of the hospital and university has attracted commuters who park along the road for several hours though the day.

“It has been difficult to enforce because it is hard to differentiate cars that belong to park users, particularly during high demand periods in the summer,” a report to council from Sheila Kidd, commissioner of transportation and public works, stated. “As a result, it is difficult to protect parking for those visiting the park throughout the day since the park area is occupied with vehicles that arrive early in the morning and stay all day.”

The road closure, and its conversion to a pathway for cycling and walking, is meant to eliminate the park as a parking option and to compel people to use other transportation options, according to Kidd’s report.

There is metered parking along Bagot Street, and Kidd stated in the report that there is potential for adding more. The city also consulted with the cancer clinic for ways to provide more parking to patients.

“This has been an ongoing problem for many years,” King’s Town District Coun. Rob Hutchison said. “Essentially what it is, by practice, is private parking taking place in a public park.”

Hutchison said the problem of people abusing the parking rules in the park was around long before the climate emergency was declared, and he said the city has tried for years to find a solution.

“I think it has taken a number of years to come to terms with it because parking is at such a premium in that area,” Hutchison said. “I can’t say I am surprised.”

Hutchison said allowing people to park along the road at no cost was inconsistent with the need to take action on climate change.

“It’s going to be an adjustment for everybody,” he said.

Sydenham District Coun. Peter Stroud, whose district includes City Park, supported the road closure.

“I have nothing to add to the staff report, other than to comment that it appears entirely factual,” Stroud wrote in an email to the Whig-Standard. “The residents of Sydenham will welcome this change as the cars interfere with the park quite a bit.”

Stroud has consistently supported efforts to limit city spending, or increase city fees, for motor vehicle users. He would not elaborate on how the cars on the road interfere with the park.

“No, you’ll have to go over and figure that out for yourself,” he wrote in an email.

The park road is currently heavily potholed and its shoulders have eroded. The situation was made worse by heavy rain Thursday that filled those holes and depressions.

Stroud did not respond when asked by email if the closure of the road to motor vehicles would make it more difficult for people who don’t live in his district to use the park.

Loyalist-Cataraqui District Coun. Simon Chapelle called the road closure plan “shortsighted.”

“We have rural roads that are in worse shape than that,” Chapelle said. “The potholes on Baxter Avenue here in the west end are just as bad as that road and that is supposed to be a residential street.”

Chapelle said the city needs to better enforce the parking rules and introduce metered parking on the road.

“If the issue is people parking there illegally, well then enforce the parking bylaw,” Chapelle said.

“Address the root cause. Don’t create a situation where you are now making it less friendly for people visiting the city to find a place to park and go and visit the monument and leave.”