Cornwall Council approves fines for school zone driving offences

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Troubled parents driving children to and from school in Cornwall will now have much higher fines to pay if they breach no stopping/parking zones.

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In fact, some fines have increased by as much as 200 percent through bylaw amendments presented to Cornwall council and approved by a near-unanimous margin.

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“We can’t control the behavior of children (like running into the street without looking), but we can control the behavior of drivers in these situations,” said Veronique Brunet, Cornwall’s regulatory services supervisor.

Brunet did not provide statistics on incidents in which children were injured, but she said “one child injured is one of too many — we need to be able to stop (driver behavior) before it gets worse.”

Brunet presented the changes to the Administrative Monetary Sanctions System (AMPS), which was approved by the council in 2021.

“(The regulation) allows (the city) to introduce penalties into the system,” said Brunet, who took on the city seven months ago. “I’m here tonight (discussing a number of issues) arising from parking and driving in school zoned areas.”

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She said the city administration has had numerous meetings with school boards regarding issues with parents/guardians being at schools dropping off or picking up children, such as ignoring no parking or stop signs and often double parking or blocking the access ways of local residents – all leading to dangerous situations.

Brunet said her research led to the findings she is presenting to council after studying six Ontario municipalities — Oakville, Ottawa, Kingston, Newmarket, Georgina and Innisfil — that also have a high number of issues and complaints. related to the school zone and found Cornwall had significantly lower fines than the average penalty charge.

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No more. For a no-stop zone offense, the current $35 fine increases 200% to $105. No parking zone violations increase from $30 to $70, school loading zone increases from $35 to $80, blocking an alley increases from $30 to $75, and parking within 1.5 meters of an alley passes from $30 to $85.

Fire run violations are increasing by just $5, from $100 to $105.

Brunet said the $30 fines were far too lenient and often ignored, that in his short time in the city he had learned or personally seen drivers get a $30 ticket, say thank you, and not move.

“For many, it’s just the cost of doing business, instead of parking (legally) a block away,” Brunet said.

The council voted 7-1 in favor of the increased fines; cone Dean Hollingsworth was the lone vote against and Couns. Carilyne Hébert and Maurice Dupelle were absent.

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“Well, it was about time,” a happy counselor. Syd Gardiner said after Brunet’s presentation, he wondered if the city had enough manpower to properly enforce the law and hand out tickets.

Brunet replied: “You can always do more with more staff, (but) we can implement this with the resources and staff we have.”

Brunet said the new fines will be applicable citywide, although the issue arose because of safety concerns in school zones. She said education is always the top priority for the department before issuing tickets, and the first round of public education, including site visits to school zones, ends May 22, with increased fines beginning May 23.

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