Touched by the stories of devastation at the hands of drunk drivers, Mayor Brian Bigger said Friday he will table a motion next week to create an exemption to the overnight parking ban for three of the busiest days over the holidays.
Bigger, who attended Action Sudbury's launch of the Red Ribbon campaign on Friday morning, said he's confident he'll get support from city council to pass the motion.
He wants to suspend the bylaw on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. He said he doesn't want anyone to use it as an excuse to drink and drive.
Those are prime nights where more people are partaking in festive spirits, he said.
“I really believe if we can stop one person from getting into their car after they've been drinking because they don't want to get a ticket, then this is well worth any inconvenience we might experience in our snow removal efforts,” Bigger said.
Impaired driving is a community issue that has an impact on the entire community, he said. Despite the efforts to stop impaired driving, the numbers don't seem to be going down.
“We need to continue to work as hard as we can,” he said. “All this will take is councillors raising their hands to support it.”