Parking in Waterloo Region

[MidTowner]

I do take issue with cities like Waterloo who provide an exemption.  If you can get permission to break the law, why is it even a law?  I don't see the OPP handing out 10 speeding exemptions a year as I'm really late today, or an assault exemption as "I might get really drunk and punch someone tonight".  Really, why should I pay $30 fine cause I forgot to call, and someone else is blocking the same snow plow and it's OK?  Just rubs me the wrong way.

[/rant]

These aren't fair comparisons. Parking on the street is rarely a safety issue, as speeding often is. As for assault, I'm not sure what to say. If a municipality can find a way to accommodate some street parking in the wintertime and still keep the streets clear and safe, it should. Many cities are able to do this without excluding all street parking on all streets overnight all winter, regardless of weather conditions.

As for the idea that "the road is not a parking lot," street parking has many benefits. It is not an "entitlement" to motorists, it is something that gives value to many different types of road users and residents. It preserves green space on private property, makes efficient use of land, and serves as cost-effective traffic calming. There are many benefits, and street parking is of course a common feature of dense, efficient neighbourhoods. We should be encouraging more of it, generally, not curtailing it.