Dear Neighbours,

As you are aware, a petition is circulating our block advocating for the extension of the 2 hour parking restriction on Kitson Street. Although I can appreciate, at times, our amazing little block can have many cars parked on the street, there is often space available for folks to park, unfortunately it may not be directly in front of your home, so the frustrating part may be that you have to walk a couple of house.

I have two concerns with this petition:

• For those families that have limited parking available to them behind their homes, street parking is essential. Taking this away will absolutely create barriers to families and single individuals alike. Not only do we have a diverse and eclectic community on Kitson, we also have essential workers that provide valuable services to vulnerable peoples on our very street. These folks should not have to worry about their parking or being ticketed any more than us residents do.
• The financial barrier. Although $25 per year may not sound like a lot of money to all of us, there are families and individuals that are low income and simply don’t have the resources to add this expense. Many individuals are experiencing financial constraints as it is, and now we will be adding yet another bill that needs to be paid. In addition, we are assuming that everyone has access to a credit card or computer to purchase this residential parking pass.
• For those that can’t simply pay the annual fee, they will be at risk of being ticketed for simply living on this street. And we all know very well how expensive parking tickets are.

I value and appreciate the community we have and hope we can consider all sides of the parking topic.

In the interest in allowing individuals to make an informed decision and not feel pressured to sign a petition while one of your neighbors hovers over you with a clip board, I have created an online petition that you can sign to oppose restricted parking on our block.

Alternatively, you can contact our local city councillor Matt Allard to share your concerns:

Email: Matt Allard

Phone: 204-396-4636

Address:

City Hall, Council Building, 510 Main St., Winnipeg, MB R3B 1B9