Elm Street parking extended for two more years

Comparing the situation to Toronto's Yonge Street, Greater Sudbury Mayor Marianne Matichuk says Sudbury drivers will get used to people parking on Elm Street.

Meeting April 23, councillors agreed to extend a pilot project adding 18 parking spaces on Elm for another two years. Unlike last year, however, parking will be permitted year-round, but won't be free. Parking will still be prohibited during morning and evening rush hours, and there will be more signs in the area alerting drivers to the change.

The pilot project began last year when, over the objections of city staff, councillors voted to allow it to proceed with an eye on re-evaluating it in 2013. While liking the idea, staff argued that until an extension of Ste. Anne Road is complete, there are not enough alternate routes through downtown to accommodate traffic diverted by allowed parking on Elm Street.

But Matichuk said it's comparable to parking on Yonge Street, where drivers have become accustomed to the street changing from one lane to two, and back to one again, with parking allowed along different sections of the street.

And Ward 8 Coun. Fabio Belli said people who find that section of Elm too congested can take alternate routes, such as Brady Street and the Lasalle Extension.

"You'll have safety issues no matter where you are," Belli said.

But Ward 3 Coun. Claude Berthiaume, one of three councillors to vote against the plan, said Elm Street is a major east-west artery and he's concerned about making it more difficult for drivers to make their way through the area.

He said if they want to add more parking, there's room on Elgin and Beech streets, which he said make more sense than Elm. Plus, he said, staff is opposed because of safety concerns.

And Ward 1 Coun. Joe Cimino said he's received complaints about Elm parking, describing it as a "Band-aid" solution for the shortage of parking downtown. A real solution is a multi-level parking garage, he said.

Ward 6 Coun. Andre Rivest agreed, saying snowplows will have problems in winter clearing Elm if cars are parked on the roadway.

"And this will create problems elsewhere," he said, arguing it will add more vehicles taking the Lasalle/Notre Dame intersection, which, he said, is already "insane.

"It should stay the way it is," he said.

But Ward 10 Coun. Frances Caldarelli said the proposal deserves another look.

"We need to give this a reasonable trial period — I think last year was very short," Caldarelli said. "We're trying to encourage new residential growth downtown ... We want our downtown to thrive. We've got to make it easy for people to park ... I think it's worth trying."

And Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said if there are serious problems, there are provisions for the trial project to be reviewed.

"We're not talking about anything extreme — we're not talking about miles and miles of roadway here," she said.

Ward 9 Coun. Doug Craig said they need to do something to slow down traffic in that area.

"We should continue to give this a chance," he said. "It's good for our city."
Ward 2 Coun. Jacques Barbeau said the parking garage is the "ideal" solution, but it's an expensive proposition that's not going to happen anytime soon.

"Let's be realistic," Barbeau said. "It's nice to think that way, but it's not going to happen."

He said there were a few problems last summer, but nothing to warrant cancelling the experiment. He opposed the trial last year, but he has since "change his stripes.

"We have a problem with people being able to park in front of the merchants — that's the only way people will shop downtown."

Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis said for the price of adding "a minute or two" to some people's drive, they can support downtown development.

"If it was something that could be done permanently, I would support that, too," he said.

Ward 9 Coun. Doug Craig asked if there's a way to build a parking garage and recover costs, but CAO Doug Nadorozny said the parking rates would have to be so high, it wouldn't be feasible. Matichuk suggested issuing a request for interest to see if there's private-sector interest in building the parking garage.

In the end, only Cimino, Barbeau and Rivest voted no, while Ward 7 Coun. Dave Kilgour and Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac were absent.