School bus drivers will not be able to park their vehicles on Moose Jaw’s streets after their shifts are finished, despite an attempt to have the traffic bylaw changed.
During the most recent meeting of the Public Works, Infrastructure and Environment Advisory Committee, group members put forward a recommendation to city council to have section 25(2) of the traffic bylaw amended so school buses could be included in the exemptions for oversized vehicles that park overnight on city streets.
Council, during its Feb. 24 regular meeting, voted 6-1 against the motion, with only Mayor Fraser Tolmie in favour.
Coun. Chris Warren, a representative on the advisory committee, told council that committee members raised concerns about revisions made to the traffic bylaw some time ago. Included in those revisions were exemptions for recreational vehicles and public works vehicles engaged in municipal business; these vehicles were exempt from oversized vehicle bylaw requirements.
“The feedback is it’s inconvenient for some of the school bus operators to return the bus to their compound at the end of their rounds,” Warren said. “They would appreciate (being) exempt so they can park on their streets.”
While some committee members were concerned about past revisions of the traffic bylaw, other members pointed out the bylaw has limits on what oversized vehicles are allowed overnight on streets for certain reasons, he continued. This includes sightlines on streets, the narrowness of residential roads, traffic flow, accessibility, and noise when buses are warming up.
The committee asked city administration about how other municipalities in Saskatchewan handle this situation. The city solicitor informed members that the traffic bylaws in Regina, Saskatoon and Weyburn don’t allow for school bus exemptions in their respective traffic bylaws. Warren guessed that was because of similar reasons as mentioned above.
The next regular council meeting is March 9.
