Parking restrictions could be coming to a portion of Huronia Road close to Lockhart Road following safety concerns.
During the general committee meeting on March 4, Barrie city council asked city staff to examine possible parking restrictions along the corridor after complaints about vehicles using the road’s shoulder as a parking area.
The concern focuses on the area near the intersection of Huronia Road and Lockhart Road, where King of the North Auction, an online auction and liquidation business, operates. The business often attracts heavy traffic, with vehicles spilling onto the shoulder of Huronia Road.
Some residents say the parked vehicles create safety hazards for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Others have raised concerns that vehicles parked along the shoulder reduce visibility for motorists travelling through the area.
Ward 9 Coun. Sergio Morales, who represents the area, said he initially asked residents for patience when the issue first surfaced, hoping the business would address its parking challenges.
“King of the North Auction’s clients are treating Huronia Road’s shoulder as a parking lot, which is creating traffic flow and safety concerns as Huronia is a busy throughway,” he said.
“From when they first opened for the last few years, I’ve told residents who were pushing me to implement no parking signage in this stretch of Huronia that the business deserved some time to work out their parking logistics. Years later and [with] no effort to address this issue, it appears my benefit of the doubt was misplaced, and so we are proceeding with parking restriction signage and enforcement from city bylaw staff.”
City staff will study the possibility of introducing restrictions, which will include the possibility of banning parking along sections of Huronia Road and nearby Lockhart Road. The review will determine whether parking prohibitions or other traffic measures are appropriate.
