With reports of staff and visitors parking illegally at Stettler Hospital and Care Centre, site security plans to enforce infractions under the Town of Stettler traffic bylaw.
At its July meeting, council approved a memorandum of agreement with Alberta Health Services and directed town administration to work with AHS to authorize AHS community peace officers to begin to enforce parking at the hospital site.
“They are having problems with parking and they approached us to help them” said Leann Graham, planning and development officer for the town.
Staff and visitors are violating the signs, she said.
“People are parking in areas clearly designated no-parking and without handicapped stickers,” said the town’s chief administrative officer, Rob Stoutenberg.
“Our traffic bylaw deals with all public parking and public lots.”
All fines will directly become revenue of the town, Stoutenberg said.
While council enforcement is to ensure public and emergency access is open, the councillors also want to take a softer approach.
“Let’s try education first,” Coun. Steve Wildeboer said.
In some incidents, violators are infringing on areas accessible for emergency vehicles.
Infractions include motorists who park on 47 Avenue facing against traffic that was so prevalent a few years ago before council buckled down.