The City of Whitehorse passed a new traffic bylaw on July 22. Council approved it unanimously, but not without some debate.
The bylaw allows up to two residential parking permits to be given to people who live next to two-hour parking zones between Elliott and Wood Streets and First and Fifth Avenues. But these won’t apply to people who live in condos.
Coun. Kirk Cameron put forward a motion to amend the bylaw so residential parking permits could be given to people who live in condos, but his amendment was defeated. He had suggested a similar amendment two weeks ago, which had also been defeated. The Procedures Bylaw says a decision cannot be reconsidered for a period of one year unless a councillor brings written notice that they plan to bring a motion forward at an upcoming meeting.
Other changes in the bylaw include requiring vehicles to yield to Whitehorse Transit buses, and making it an offence to park in the transit zones at Yukon College and Whitehorse General Hospital. The bylaw also allows organizations to purchase commercial accessible-parking permits. Before, these permits could only be purchased for individuals, not vehicles used by organizations like seniors’ homes that provide transportation to people with physical disabilities.
Fees for parking offences will increase under the new bylaw. But fines for staying at parking meters too long have not gone up.
The bylaw also clarifies some items in the old bylaw. Drivers whose two-hour parking permits have expired must leave the two-hour parking zone for at least two hours before they can park again within that same two-hour parking zone. The new bylaw also clarifies it’s illegal to have an electrical cord running across the sidewalk.
Coun. Mike Gladish was absent from Monday’s meeting.