Motorists will need to pay more attention to where they are parking in Prince Edward County.
Council voted on Tuesday night during their regular council meeting at Highline Hall to expand no parking zones to address overflow parking issues near water access points in the municipality.
Councillors voted in favour of allowing parking on the South side of Bakker Road, parking on the north side of North Beach Road, no parking on Winn’s Drive and parking on one side of Islands Road on Sheba Island.
The report noted there were traffic and safety concerns because of the amount of parking on the side of the roads leading to waterfront access.
In addition to expanding those no parking areas, the fines if caught parked in those areas will also increase.
The set fine would increase from $50 to $400 and from $35 to $300 if paid within seven days.
Councillor Andreas Bolik questioned the motives behind the motion stating they are rushing into things.
Councillor Jamie Forrester says Prince Edward County is simply beyond capacity.
Councillor Janice Maynard called it a lame band-aid fix and said it won’t address the problem as there are too many people coming into the municipality.
She also said the new no parking zones are hurting residents who are looking to go to beaches not packed with visitors and those who are lower on the economic scale.
An amendment brought forward to reduce the fine amount to $100 if paid within seven days and the set fine of $200 was lost.
The new no parking zones would be in effect Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays.
