A commercial parking spot will remain despite one man’s bid to make it an accessible spot.
When Ted Dew-Jones drives his wife, Meg, to her appointments at McNeill Audiology, she often must make a long trek using her walker to the hearing specialists. Street parking directly in front of the business is designated for commercial vehicles and adjacent parking below the Monterey Recreation Centre is a challenging because the slope of the hill is too steep for her walker, Dew-Jones said.
The available elevator means a longer walk.
After investigating spaces available adjacent to that block, staff recommended and council agreed, to not alter the commercial loading zone.
Municipal staff cited there are no strict regulations on the usage of the parking spaces at the Monterey centre and an elevator to help customers exit the underground parking area.
They found the commercial loading zone at 1455 Hampshire Rd. is heavily used by commercial vehicles for loading and unloading throughout the day. Engineering Services staff also consulted with the Oak Bay Business Improvement Association who wish it to remain commercial.
Coun. Hazel Braithwaite confirmed with staff that should they alter the designation, that would not ensure that space was available for patrons of that particular business. She made the motion – which as committee is a recommendation to council – to leave the parking space as is.
“I empathize with the difficulty of getting places when you have mobility issues,” said Coun. Michelle Kirby.
Director of Engineering Daniel Horan responded it would be preferable to review parking in general rather than alter designation of one space for a particular business.
Decisions made at committee of the whole are recommendations to council. The item was expected on the July 18 council meeting after Oak Bay News deadline. The next meeting of council is Sept. 19.