A resident of a Hart neighbourhood whose street leads directly to an elementary school where she’s observed parents parking illegally while shuttling students to the school is not happy with the city’s bylaw office and how it has dealt with her concerns about the lack of enforcement of the parking ban.
Lynn Blatta says bylaw staff ignored her request to send an officer to investigate her report of motorists parking illegally on Cluff Road adjacent to Glenview Elementary School in late June during the last week of the school year and that the woman in the bylaw office she talked to was rude to her and dismissed her reason for wanting an officer to visit the scene.
“I just want the public and the taxpayers to know when you phone the bylaw department and they try to intimidate them out of making a complaint, don’t let them do it because in my experience that’s that happens,” said Blatta. “Stand up for yourself, get their name and if they don’t respond, try and make a fight about it.
“How many other people complained and their complaints didn’t get recorded? She promised me she would come up here and they didn’t. Where do we draw the line on this and who is accountable? I would appreciate some honesty from the bylaw department and the city.”
Blatta spoke to Charlotte Peters, city manager of bylaw services, who reiterated her staff member’s previous explanation to Blatta that the school zone at Glenview was patrolled regularly. A city spokesperson said an officer was dispatched to the area and did not find any vehicles in violation of the parking bylaw..
“There are 25 schools in this city and all of these schools are visited by parking control officers,” said Adam Davey, the city’s director of public safety. “They go to different schools each day depending on what area of the city they are in at the time of school pick up and drop off. That the city has only received two calls for service regarding parking concerns in that area in five years indicates there are either no concerns with parking or that the regular patrols are effective. There are presently no regular patrols as it is July.”
Blatta filed a freedom of information request to examine records over the past five years between January 2018 and June 30, 2023 which showed that were two visits by bylaw staff to investigate complaints about motorists illegally parking in the Glenview school area.
The first patrol request, dated Feb. 5, 2018, resulted in a bylaw officer visiting the area two weeks later, and over two days the officer spoke to 15 drivers. The second request for service happened on May 9, at which the visiting officer found no parking infractions.
Bylaw services staff reported there is no record of tickets handed out to any drivers illegally parked and that staff sent to the specified area on patrol strive to educate motorists why they should not be parking on that street.
Staff also reported that parking control staff members conduct school zone patrols daily at either pick-up or drop-off times, that the patrols are self-generated except when acting on a call for service and that there are just two parking control officers so not every school zone is covered every day. School zone patrols are not tracked unless there is a call for service (complaint).
“The city stands by our statement to Ms. Blatta that bylaw staff have visited the area multiple times over the years as part of their regular patrols,” said Davey. “Her confusion seems to be over proactive patrols versus reactive patrols (the difference between a routine patrol and a call for service).
“The city records all complaints. Ms. Blatta made a request for patrols and did not file a complaint. The city records and acts upon every complaint.”
Blatta has emailed Mayor Simon Yu and city council asking them to address how the bylaw office has handled the issue.
