Mississauga drivers who park in bicycle lanes will now be fined

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Published April 6, 2022 at 3:31 pm

bike lanes mississauga

Mississauga drivers who park their cars in bicycle lanes will now be fined $55 after City council decided today (April 6) to close a bylaw loophole to protect cyclists.

The fines will take effect in May and are intended to “improve safety and comfort for cyclists,” City of Mississauga officials say.

“The safety of all road users is a top priority…and that’s why we took the action we did today,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “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.”

Previously, the bylaw only prohibited (and fined) drivers from 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.

“We have painted bike lanes in Mississauga where it’s not uncommon to see drivers encroach on, stop or park in them,” said Geoff Wright, Mississauga’s transportation and works commissioner. “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.

The approved updates to Mississauga’s Administrative Penalty Bylaw and Traffic Bylaw also include.

  • a formal definition of “bicycle lane” to make identification and enforcement easier
  • language that prohibits drivers from stopping and parking in painted bike lanes
  • an updated list of vehicles permitted to park or stop in a bicycle lane (public transit, fire and emergency services, etc.)
  • an updated list of those permitted to drive in a bicycle lane (bike, e-scooter, fire and emergency medical services)

In addition to the new fine for parking in a bike lane, Mississauga councillors agreed to similarly penalize drivers who park or stop in prohibited areas.

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.

“Enforcement by the City will begin in May. Proactive enforcement will also occur this spring in locations previously identified by residents and on roads that have vehicle parking and painted bike lanes,” said Helen Noehammer, the City’s director of infrastructure planning and engineering services. “If you see drivers parking or stopping in a bike lane, we encourage you to call 311 so that the location can be flagged for enforcement.”

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