An unhappy City of Terrace council has relaxed parking restrictions around the just-opened Ksyen Regional Hospital but, in doing so, has also scolded Northern Health for allowing a problem to arise in the first place.
Although Ksyen is now open, it only has 70 parking spots at its main entrance and more will not be available until late next year after the adjacent Mills Memorial Hospital building is demolished and replaced with a large parking lot.
The result was people parking on both sides of the block of Tetrault Street running parallel to Ksyen's public entrance, a situation city councillor Sarah Zimmerman called a "gong show" and which mayor Sean Bujtas called dangerous to public safety.
To help ease the problem of safe access along Tetrault, the city relaxed its parking regulations at the request of Northern Health to allow parking only on the west side of Tetrault in front of Ksyen and on a portion of the 4700 Block of Haugland Avenue from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. A city bylaw bans vehicles from parking on city streets during winter months so that its snowclearing equipment can work more efficiently.
There will still be restrictions on parking on the east side of Tetrault in front of Ksyen and on the 4700 Block of Haugland.
"It we see vehicles on both sides of the road, there's not enough room for two-way traffic," engineering and public works director Ben Reinbolt summarized to council when he presented the parking relaxation plan to council for consideration Nov. 25, the day the hospital opened to the public.
Also of primary concern was that parking on both sides of the street would make clearing snow largely impossible. The exemption will last until April once the winter plowing season has concluded.
Reinbolt said keeping parking restrictions in place which ban vehicles from city streets from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily will also allow city equipment to more efficiently remove snow accumulation late at night.
"I drive on this road multiple times a day to get my kids to school," said Zimmerman during council discussion Nov. 25. "And today was a particular gong show out there with the real pinch being the people parking on both sides of the road."
She was told there would now be adequate signage and communications going out informing people of what they can do and what they cannot do.
"I'm really unhappy about this. Honestly, this is not ideal. I think the team that built this hospital has done a great job [but] this piece was an oversight," said Bujtas about the overflow parking situation.
He said even in regular weather, the block of Tetrault in front of Ksyen is a problem.
"I think of vehicles coming down there in a panic situation... and, you know, somebody young jumps out on the road. I worry about all these things and there's a piece of me that wants to say 'no' to this because I feel like it will send a message to say we need to find a better solution."
Bujtas added that many hospital employees have told him the lack of parking is a real problem.
"I think at a minimum, if we're supporting [the parking relaxation] that message needs to go back to Northern Health to say we're going to allow this [but] we're not happy about this."
City staffers provided a letter from Northern Health official Paul Rudecki saying it had looked at the possibility of parking at a nearby church but found that was not viable.
He added that 40 spaces at the Mills location can be put into use until next spring. Contractors have fenced off what were other parking spaces at the Mills building to allow for demolition of the structure.
Rudnecki also indicated another option was under consideration and that was to have hospital staffers park at the Keith Avenue Mall.
Councillor Dave Gordon dismissed that idea, saying he was worried about people then crossing Hwy16/Keith Ave.
Gordon also said he would vote against relaxing the parking restrictions so Northern Health knows council's opinion of the situation.
"I really worry about a big snowfall or a series of snowfalls on that street and pushing people in parking there with windrows. That's on us. That's not going to be on Northern Health if there are issues that come out of motor vehicle accidents that could happen on that street because of inadequate snow clearing, that's on us," he said.
Voting in favour of relaxing the parking restrictions were Bujtas and councillors Brian Downie, Chris Apps, Sarah Zimmerman and Inder Dhillon. Councillor James Cordeiro joined Gordon in opposing the move.
The city has now placed 'no parking' signs on the east side of Tetrault. Relaxing parking restrictions went into place Nov. 25.
