Hamilton nets $7K in fines during first two weeks of Sunday parking enforcement

The City of Hamilton says it is making headway when cracking down on parking violations on Sundays.

Officials launched the six-month pilot program at the end of March, where bylaw officers are made available to respond to public complaints regarding road infractions at the end of the weekend.

In less than two weeks, the city says it has issued more than $7,000 worth of fines on Sundays alone. Officials say the progress shows they are addressing a service gap while ensuring safety for pedestrians and drivers.

Today, it did not take long for Hamilton’s manager of parking enforcement, James Buffett, to find a parked vehicle with not one, but two infractions.

When Buffett spotted the black sedan, he noticed a tucked-away ticket fine for an illegal park from Thursday, as well as an obstructed driveway. Responding to such calls is a task staff have not been able to perform on Sundays in the past due to off-duty schedules.

However, two weeks ago, city hall launched a pilot project to determine if on-call patrol is needed on those weekend days.

“It’s pretty routine when it comes to complaint-based enforcement,” Buffett said. “That’s what we’re doing, we’re focusing on just complaints. We’re not doing proactive patrols, we’re not out there looking for infractions beyond what the community is requesting us to come out and take a look at.”

READ MORE: Sunday street parking remains free during Hamilton’s parking enforcement pilot

During a walkthrough in the Durand neighbourhood this afternoon, Buffett presented common violations they see after receiving residential complaints. On top of blocked driveways, officers frequently find vehicles less than six metres away from a crosswalk and less than three metres away from a fire hydrant.

“This is by no means a perfect measurement, but using sidewalk squares — if you’re at least two full sidewalk squares away from a fire hydrant, you’re likely more than far enough away from a hydrant,” Buffett said.

The City of Hamilton says the average violation fine is approximately $40. Specific fines include $80 for being too close to a fire hydrant or blocking a driveway, $50 for parking in an area with a “no parking” sign and $100 for parking in a “no stopping” zone.

Ever since the pilot project began, the city says it has received 101 parking-related complaints and issued 124 tickets, resulting in more than $7,000 in fines.

Meanwhile, residents in the Durand area gave their opinion regarding the trial run of Sunday enforcement.

“I’m all for it. Even if I get a ticket, I’m still all for it because I live here and parking is a big problem,” said one local.

“I have the opposite take, personally. I think there are too many officers around,” said one resident. “Every time I park my car, I feel like I’m getting a ticket.”

The city says the pilot will determine whether the Sunday service gap requires a long-term solution.

“This means that there is a need for us to be out there in the community addressing community concerns,” Buffett said. “We’re obviously going to review all the data we’re collecting over the six-month pilot.”

Buffett says once the data is collected, staff will report back to council and offer recommendations on how to enhance patrol and ensure safety for residents. That report is expected sometime this fall.

As for Sunday enforcement, residents across the city should expect officers to be on call between 5:45 a.m. and 10 p.m.

READ MORE: Hamilton launching six-month Sunday parking enforcement pilot