By Cecilia Nasmith
Cobourg's new Parking Regulating Bylaw passed at this week's council meeting with one last-minute amendment.
The troublesome provision was the change in limits to on-street parking in residential areas which, under the new bylaw, was reduced from 48 hours to three.
Councillor Aaron Burchat's efforts to retain the 48-hour limit was defeated at last week's committee-of-the-whole meeting. Final consideration in regular council session this week saw efforts to set the change at 24 hours. This failed, but council did agree to a 12-hour limit.
Burchat saw the reduction as a bone of contention, pointing out the hardship to people who must park on the street. It did not allay his concerns much to be reminded that enforcement would be done on a complaint-driven basis.
“More reactive than proactive,” as Director of Legislative Services Brent Larmer put it.
While Burchat's motion for a 24-hour limit was defeated, a subsequent motion to change it to 12 hours passed unanimously.
