City of Kitchener pilots boulevard parking for the winter

Residents in all 10 of Kitchener's wards will be able to park on neighbourhood boulevards for the remainder of the winter.

The city is piloting a new bylaw that permits parking on paved boulevards until March 31. A boulevard is the space between the sidewalk and the curb at the end of a driveway.

Gloria MacNeil, the director of bylaw enforcement, said boulevard parking has been well-received in Ward 5, where the bylaw has been in place every winter since 2014.

MacNeil said the bylaw helps keep cars off the road during the winter, which is good for both the city and its residents.

"For residents, it gives them an additional space where they can park without getting a ticket, and for staff, it allows us to get vehicles off the road so the plows can get down and get the roads cleared."

Know the rules

There are some standards residents will have to keep in mind when parking, MacNeil said.

Vehicles can only be parked on the paved surface and cannot stop on any landscaped areas or hang over the sidewalk or curb.

MacNeil said the size of the boulevard varies by neighbourhood, so if there isn't enough room for a vehicle in that space, it will not be allowed to park there.

Drivers can also park parallel to the road, but the vehicle must be facing in the same direction as traffic.

A full list of parking regulations and the rules for boulevard parking is available on the city's website.