Mississauga drivers must pay up if they’re caught parking in bike lanes

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Published April 29, 2022 at 10:59 am

bike lanes mississauga

Starting next week, drivers who park in bicycle lanes in Mississauga will be fined $55 as bylaw officers begin enforcing a new rule of the road to protect cyclists.

Mississauga City council adopted a resolution earlier this month to close a bylaw loophole related to bike lanes.

Previously, the bylaw prohibited (and fined) drivers from only stopping their vehicles in a bike lane, but not from parking there. Without specific reference to parking, City officials say they were limited in their ability to establish penalties for the behaviour.

The fines take effect in May and are intended to “improve safety and comfort for cyclists,” the City says.

“The safety of all road users is a top priority…and that’s why we took the action we did today,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said at the April 6 meeting of council. “We closely reviewed options for enforcing and issuing fines and looked at how neighbouring municipalities are responding. We strongly feel that creating a fine for this behaviour and strengthening our bylaws is an important way we can protect cyclists and drivers and help avoid injury and death on our roads.”

Geoff Wright, Mississauga’s transportation and works commissioner, said there are painted bike lane areas across the city where it’s not uncommon to see drivers “encroach on, stop or park in them.”

He added: “We often see this happening where parking exists to the right of the bike lane–where drivers must cross the bike lane to access the parking.”

Examples of that can be seen on Confederation Pkwy., between Rathburn Rd. W. and Burnhamthorpe Rd. W., and Tenth Line W., between Britannia and Derry Rds., said Wright.

“While physically separated bike lanes will be part of major road projects moving forward, these updated bylaws will deter this behaviour on our existing painted bike lanes, where cyclists are most vulnerable,” Wright added.

Prior to amending Mississauga’s bike lane rules, City officials say they reviewed 38 Ontario municipalities and determined 15 of those, including Toronto, Oakville, Vaughan, Burlington, Brampton and Hamilton, have similar fines for parking in bike lanes and prohibited areas.

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