Lauren Merklinger said strangers' cars parked in front of her driveway are a daily occurrence..
Traffic has been a concern since she moved to her Newmarket neighbourhood in the Watson Avenue and Lundy’s Lane area in 2018. With the proximity to the Southlake Regional Health Centre and Medical Arts Building, many will park there to get to appointments.
“Drivers are ruthless. They literally don’t care,” she said. “They literally stand on my front lawn, smoke cigarettes, eat their lunch."
The Town of Newmarket is examining actions it can take to address concerns in the Lundy’s Lane neighbourhood. After staff conducted a safety review in response to complaints, council approved recommendations Sept. 18 for traffic measures like bollards and pavement markings, along with more long-term solutions like the exploration of a new all-way stop and pedestrian crossover.
On the surface, it sounds good to Merklinger. But she said more enforcement is what is really needed, and believes that cameras would be best for that in the long run.
“It appears as though the town cares and they’re actually trying to do something,” Merklinger said, but added that “bollards and things like that, that makes no sense because people are going to block (our) driveways.”
The driveway concern did garner discussion during a Sept. 11 committee of the whole meeting. Council asked staff to review additional enhanced enforcement options on Lundy’s Lane. It also asked staff to review parking concerns on the nearby Watson’s Avenue, not included in the previous safety review, which Merklinger raised as a point of issue.
Another resident, who requested anonymity, shared a presentation of photographs focusing on the issue of vehicles parking inappropriately, including in front of driveways.
“We all look at those slides and go, ‘Wow, that would drive anyone around the bend,’” Mayor John Taylor responded. “We’ve got a good set of recommendations. Will we declare victory? Probably not. Will we have to revisit this area probably again in the future? It’s quite possible. It’s a very complex area and it is changing rapidly.”
Taylor added the area is unique, and parking in front of driveways would require enforcement over other traffic measures.
Director of engineering Rachel Prudhomme said staff have considered many enforcement matters like commissionaires and cameras. She added that staff hope to work with the source of the problem, the medical building, to see about addressing the presence of the lift gate at its parking lot entrance leading to congestion and queuing.
“We know the source of the issue, and it’s people going to the hospital who don’t want to pay for parking, or it’s people who go to the medical building who don’t want to pay for parking,” Prudhomme said. “It’s a very big problem. We’re putting our heads together, we’re trying to find solutions.”
Staff indicated they could add signage and work with York Regional Police to address parking in front of driveways, including using towing on perpetrators.
The area will also have added development with an apartment building at 43 Lundy’s Lane coming.
But Merklinger said she is concerned by how significant of an impact it could have in the area.
“It’s going to be really bad,” she said. “Honestly, I’ll probably be forced to move.”
Patsy Hawke is another resident who lives in the area and has experienced the occasional person parking in front of her driveway or even in it. She said traffic has been a concern since the medical arts building came in about 10 years ago.
“It’s very, very dangerous,” she said of the illegally parked cars in the area. “I’m always hesitant when I’m driving there."
Hawke also raised the need for further enforcement. She also suggested the medical arts building should remind them of no parking on Lundy’s Lane.
Marklinger said it all came down to poor planning when the medical arts building first came into place.
“The parking situation there is not sufficient for the volumes of people coming in and out,” she said. “It has ruined the area, unfortunately, and the town needs to remedy their past mistakes and make this area sustainable.”
