Riverview Elementary School staff say they were left for more than half an hour last week before they managed to get parking spaces several blocks from the school.
It took teacher Michele Steiner 48 minutes on Monday to get a spot – a new record, she said.
She claimed the parking situation in Riverview Avenue in Verdun had become so difficult that it regularly interfered with classes.
“We had to find supervision for the students because I had to circle for parking,” Steiner said.
READ MORE: New residential parking restrictions in Verdun Street frustrate drivers, residents
Miss Veronica Amar said Steiner is one of many staff caught up in this seemingly never-ending search for parking in the area.
Amar, who was driving to work, said more than 30 teachers and staff were being scrambled because the school did not have a parking lot.
“We need to be calm as teachers,” Steiner said.
“We do not want to get discouraged in class after we have already had a stressful day. It is not good for anyone. ”
Vignette parking restrictions implemented in the fall took up 30 percent of the available spaces between Bannantyne and Monteith – a 300-meter stretch of street.
But Amar said the restrictions, coupled with late snow removal operations after last week’s snowstorm, are the reason for the parking problems.
It took the city eight days to completely clear the street, leaving half of it usable, according to Amar.
She said it is unacceptable that snow removal takes so long, especially in a school zone. It was not just a nuisance, it was a danger to children getting off the bus, she added.
“Teachers had to physically get the children out of the bus and sit on the sidewalk to be safe. “Now you know you are cleaning a school zone – all this has to be planned ahead of time,” said Amar.
Last fall, letters and even a petition asking for the restrictions on only residential parking to be removed were sent to the city administration from both staff and people living in the area.
Residents were notified by the congregation and were asked to vote on the impending change in the summer.
City Councilor Stirling Downey has said in the past that he has been in constant contact with the principal about this issue.
According to the district, the decision to convert street parking came at the request of residents.
In a statement, the city said residents were informed months in advance and given the option to vote against the implementation of the parking restrictions.
Global News reached out to the city on this latest snow removal issue, but they did not respond to our queries.
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Amar says the congregation needs to accommodate the school staff.
She and others say they are willing to pay for spaces reserved for teachers when it comes to extremes.
“We do not have a choice. It’s a win, win. They get money and we get stress-free parking, ”said Amar.
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