• Prohibited parking on all streets from 1-6 a.m. all year long unless otherwise permitted. As indicated below, examples of permitted exceptions are Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Program, 15 day personal exemption, and potential permit system.

• Permit vehicles to park on-street a maximum of five-hours outside of 1-6 a.m. restriction. Direct staff to make overnight parking in the Leighland/Treeland neighbourhood west of Brant, north of Plains Road, consistent with the rest of the city, with a 1-6 a.m. restriction.

• Prohibit vehicles from parking perpendicular to the direction of traffic in lay-by parking bays.

• Permit parking in residential driveway aprons provided the vehicle does not encroach on either the sidewalk or the road. This may be restricted for corner lots to ensure sightlines are not obstructed.

• Prohibit school bus parking within certain areas such as prescribed residential areas.

• Permit a two-day per year exemption for parking recreational vehicles (on a per plate basis) within certain areas such as prescribed residential.

• Permit overnight parking in downtown municipal lots all year long with the exception that no parking will be permitted when snow levels require the lot to be cleared.

• Replace the existing Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Program (with the exception of the 24/7 permit, which are grandfathered for three years to allow further evaluation) with a standard exemption to permit on-street parking between 1-6 a.m. As indicated above the five-hour rule will apply at all other times.

• Modify the Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Program by replacing the existing requirements with a system in which the Director of Transportation Services would receive and process requests from neighbourhoods, and bring a recommendation report to committee and council.

Recommendation No. 2

• Implement a Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Program as a pilot project in place until Sept. 30, 2016 in the Uptown, Orchard and Alton Communities and any other areas or streets, including Blanshard Drive and Caplan Crescent, identified by council, for inclusion in the pilot project. The purpose of the project is to determine whether the Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Program should be continued or be replaced by a paid parking permit system.

Recommendation No. 3

• The city not remove sidewalks in order to allow for more off street parking spaces in driveways.

Recommendation No. 4

• Direct the Director of Planning and Building to bring forward changes to the zoning bylaw as follows:

- Permit wider driveways on certain lots that are less than 12 metres in width.

- Change the definition of a residential walkway to reflect that parking may occur within such a walkway.

Recommendation No. 5

• Direct the Director of Planning and Building to develop sustainable “green” driveway design standards.

Recommendation No. 6

• Direct staff to come back with a recommendation to work with caregivers, professional or otherwise, in situations where care is required in a home for a long period of time.

If council approves the recommendations, it will cost approximately $20,000 to replace existing parking signage. Funding for this has been included in the 2014 capital budget submission.

The city is also allotting approximately $7,000 for community outreach, education and advertising to inform residents about the changes. The cost can be accommodated within existing budgets, staff reports.

The on-street and front yard parking study was developed over the past year.

Public consultation took place from December 2012 to July 2013 with six open houses and online consultation.

Staff said there was a clear polarization between residents, with one group wanting to leave the parking situation as is, while the other group wanted a drastic overhaul.

“I think you’ll find there’s not a recommendation that was supported in this report by the majority of anybody,” said Sean Kenney, a planner with the city.

Staff said this is the third time the city has studied the issue and the previous findings of leaving the status quo has not brought a resolution to the issue.

Kenney told the Post the intent is to have recommendations 1, 2, 4, 6 in place before April 30, 2014.

Recommendation 3 requires no further work, while recommendation 5 will be worked on by staff and reported back to council at a later date, he added.

Bruce Gaulton, a Ward 5 resident, was the lone delegate on the item Monday night. He supported no longer allowing school buses to park in residential areas.

“When you introduce a large, parked vehicle such as a school bus that is 40-feet long and 10-feet wide, it does not allow cars to negotiate these streets without waiting for others to pass,” he said.

To view the full on-street and front yard study report, click item 9 on the agenda at http://bit.ly/1cMANO1.