Engagement summary and survey results
About this project
The City of Kingston uses overnight on-street parking restrictions to respond quickly to winter weather. Plows are large vehicles, and it is safer, easier and more efficient to clear streets without vehicles parked on them.
In March 2022, City Council approved a pilot project that would see the City implement a winter weather-based parking bylaw. This bylaw introduced a weather-based approach to parking on Kingston’s streets during the winter:
During the months of December and March, overnight on-street parking is permitted, so long as a parking ban is not called in advance of winter weather.
During the months of January and February, a blanket ban is in effect and overnight on-street parking is not permitted.
How we engaged
Following two full winters of the pilot project, City staff gathered feedback from the public to inform recommendations for the future of overnight winter weather-based parking regulations in Kinston.
A survey was hosted on Get Involved Kingston from June 24 to July 12. The community was provided opportunities to engage online, by phone or by email. The Get Involved Kingston project page also asked for ideas to manage winter parking. Ideas were also received by phone or email.
Engagement opportunities were communicated through social media, a news release and the Get Involved Kingston email newsletter. The survey was also promoted by external partners to their audiences. Social media posts had approximately 31,700 impressions and the newsletters were distributed to approximately 18,000 subscribers.
Who we heard from
Get Involved Kingston statistics:
2,600 total page visits
708 participants who engaged with us
708 completed surveys
15 ideas contributed
Respondents represent a wide range of areas across Kingston and beyond. They are broken down into the following:
District name |
Number of respondents |
District 1: Countryside |
13 |
District 2: Loyalist-Cataraqui |
76 |
District 3: Collins-Bayridge |
46 |
District 4: Lakeside |
49 |
District 5: Portsmouth |
71 |
District 6: Trillium |
73 |
District 7: Kingscourt-Rideau |
46 |
District 8: Meadowbrook-Strathcona |
31 |
District 9: Williamsville |
48 |
District 10: Sydenham |
51 |
District 11: King’s Town |
75 |
District 12: Pittsburgh |
106 |
Of the 708 surveys submitted, 685 participants lived within Kingston, and 23 participants were from outside of Kingston.
Next steps
Engagement results will inform staff’s recommendation to Council regarding the future of overnight winter weather-based parking regulations in Kingston.
What we heard
The following are the results of the survey questions. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation were omitted. Staff have also identified emerging themes in the feedback, the highlights and summaries provided below.
Q1: Are you aware of the current winter weather-based parking ban in Kingston?
Of the respondents, 686 (96.8 per cent) were aware of the parking ban pilot project.
Q2: What kind of impact has the winter weather-based parking ban had on your household since the pilot began in March 2022?
Of the respondents:
429 (60.6 per cent) felt the parking ban had a positive impact on their household
133 (18.8 per cent) felt the parking ban had a negative impact on their household
146 (20.6 per cent) were unsure or could not recall the impact it had
Q2a: If the restrictions have impacted you negatively, please explain how it has affected you. (Note: The survey question employed Skip Logic, which meant only respondents who selected “Negative” in the previous question were asked to elaborate on the negative impact the parking restrictions had.)
There were 129 responses to this question. Verbatim answers are available on the Get Involved Kingston project page. Responses provided fall into the following themes:
Compromised plowing operations concerns
Vehicles parked on the street reduce the effectiveness of snow removal and lead to snow banks, as plows need to swerve to move around illegally parked vehicles
People continue to park their vehicles on roads, impacting snow removal and leading to unsafe walking and driving conditions
Roads are slower to get plowed because of so many parked vehicles
The City should consider a 24-hour parking ban after a snowfall, or bans only in neighbourhoods that will be cleared
Plows don’t always come through streets overnight
If some streets are cleared earlier than others, they should be allowed to resume street parking
Enforcement concerns
People take their chances and park vehicles on the street regardless of bans, or would rather pay the fine than find alternate parking
Current ticketing isn’t enough of a deterrent
There is no enforcement at all and as a result, people ignore the ban
There don’t seem to be enough Bylaw officers to properly enforce parking and it emboldens a lack of respect for the laws
Vehicles shouldn’t be allowed to park on any City streets from December to March due to people not following restrictions. This would also mean people don’t need to check for restrictions before parking
Some people don’t understand the system or don’t check for restrictions
Plow operators should be able to give tickets
People have received tickets or been towed when there was no snowfall
Insufficient parking options
Many houses and apartments don’t have off-street parking, or don’t have enough parking to accommodate all occupants or visitors
Nowhere safe to park off-street
Night-shift workers are impacted
The City should consider a weather-based system from December to March
The City should consider alternating side of the streets for parking. It is irresponsible for the City to implement restrictions and not provide the community with alternatives
Safety concerns
Vehicles left on the road can create problems for emergency vehicles
Snow accumulation leads to reduced sightlines
With vehicles on the road and snowbanks, it is difficult to see and drive down roads safely
Illegally parked cars and snow accumulation narrow roadways and make it difficult to drive in one lane
Q3: Over the past two winters, did a vehicle parked on the road overnight prevent a snow plow from plowing a street and result in an impact on your neighbourhood?
Of the respondents:
356 (50.2 per cent) said No
251 (35.4 per cent) said Yes
102 (14.4 per cent) said Unsure/Couldn’t Recall
Q3a: If a vehicle parked on the road overnight did prevent a plow from getting through, during which time periods did you experience an impact? Select all that apply. (Note: The survey question employed Skip Logic, which meant only respondents who selected “Yes” in the previous question were asked to elaborate on when a plow was prevented from completing its operations.)
Q4: Over the past two winters, do you remember learning about the weather-based parking ban in any of the following ways? Select all that apply.
Of the respondents:
319 learn about parking bans through social media
263 learn about parking bans on the City’s website
253 learn about parking bans on the news
Q5: How many vehicles does your household have?
The breakdown of respondents is as follows:
Number of vehicles |
Respondents |
0 |
11 |
1 |
254 |
2 |
313 |
3 |
84 |
4 |
21 |
5 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
Q6: Do you have access to off-street parking?
Of the respondents, 631 (89.1 per cent) have access to off-street parking, and 77 (10.9 per cent) do not have access to off-street parking.
Q7: Where do you usually park your vehicles?
Of the respondents:
484 (68.8 per cent) park their vehicles in their own driveways
98 (13.9 per cent) park their vehicles in a garage
91 (12.9 per cent) park their vehicles on the street.
Q7a: If on-street parking is not available due to the weather-based parking ban, what options do you explore for parking? (Note: The survey question employed Skip Logic, which meant only respondents who selected “On-street” in the previous question were asked where they park their vehicle during a parking ban.)
Of the respondents:
41 park in their own residence’s driveway or parking lot
28 take their chances and park on the road
21 use another residence space (rental).
Q8: Are you in favour of continuing a weather-based overnight parking ban during December and March of each year?
Of the respondents, 562 (79.2 per cent) are in favour of continuing a weather-based overnight parking ban during December and March, 116 (16.3 per cent) are not in favour, and 32 (4.5 per cent) are undecided.
Ideas responses
The following are comments submitted by registered Get Involved Kingston participants through the Ideas tool. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation were omitted.
What solutions or alternatives would you suggest for managing parking in Kingston during winter weather?
There were 15 responses to this question. Responses provided fall into the following themes:
Alternate parking restrictions
Have a weather-based winter parking ban throughout the entire winter (December to March)
Alternate parking on one side of the street
Have a consistent, defined parking ban to avoid confusion
Increased enforcement
Improved/additional communication
Promoting alternatives to driving
This engagement has concluded. Council voted to implement the Winter Weather-Based Winter Parking Bylaw on Oct. 1, 2024.
