Father asks Ottawa Bylaw officers to show empathy after receiving ticket in school zone

An Ottawa father is calling for Bylaw Services officers to show empathy to drivers picking up children in school zones, after receiving a ticket for stopping in an intersection outside a Stittsville school.

Stephen Albert received a $105 ticket from a Bylaw Services officer for stopping in an intersection during an after-school pickup on Wednesday.

Albert says he and his wife have been forced to drop off and pick up their three children from school after the school bus for their kids was cancelled.

"We've been juggling all our responsibilities to drop off and pick up our kids each day," Albert said in a letter to Coun. David Brown, shared with CTV News Ottawa.

"Today to add insult to injury while sitting in my car waiting to pick up my kids. Stopped past the no-stopping zone as clearly marked, I was handed a ticket for $105 by a Bylaw officer who was out ticketing multiple parents who are in the same boat, just trying to navigate a significantly overcrowded pickup time due to multiple cancelled buses."

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In an interview on Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, Albert said many parents are trying to "navigate the chaos that is pickup," noting four buses have been cancelled at the school.

"I dropped my wife off to go receive the children and I tried to find parking, and I thought I found a good spot. I was in the car when the Bylaw agent dropped the ticket in my window for stopping in an intersection," Albert said Wednesday, admitting it was "oversight on my part" to park in the wrong spot.

Albert says the Bylaw Services officer told him there were many parking spots available around the school, but adds its "absolute chaos" at the end of the school day.

"I think the issue is not the infraction, it is why is Bylaw down there? There's no empathy," Albert said.

"It feels like they're out to get a quota."

The director of Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services says it increases the presence of officers in and around school zones at the start of the year to educate parents, and "if necessary, enforcement of parking restrictions."

"These parking restrictions are in place to ensure traffic and pedestrian mobility, where the safety of parents, students, school staff and the broader community is paramount," Roger Chapman said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. 

"This year, with the added pressures of school bus shortages and ultimately, the associated additional traffic with parents delivering and picking up students, safety concerns have increased significantly."

Chapman says three tickets have been issued around A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School in Stittsville since Sept. 1 – two for stopping in a 'no stopping' zone and one for stopping within an intersection.

"While there were other violations, Bylaw Officers assisted with traffic direction and used the opportunity to bring awareness to drivers," Chapman said. 

"BLRS appreciates the challenges facing drivers in and around school zones, particularly during the start of the school year. Safety continues to be of the utmost priority."

Albert says Bylaw Services officers told other parents that there have been complaints about traffic in the neighbourhood after school.

"I can understand a resident in the area maybe being upset…pickup is 15 minutes and then the streets clear up," Albert said. "That's all it is, is 15 minutes of time that you're inconvenienced. I'm inconvenienced; we live 16 kilometres from the school, we have to drive them to school, we have to pick them up."

Albert says he agrees that safety is an issue in school zones, but wonders if there is another approach the city can take.

"I don't see what benefit it is to send out Bylaw right when it's busy," Albert says.

"If it is a safety issue, send out a police officer to help ease traffic to direct them into spots where people normally can't park."

Coun. Clarke Kelly says it's been busy in school zones in the west end as the city sees dozens of school bus cancellations each day.

"It's absolute mayhem. We've got people running across the road, people doing U-turns, cars going in the same direction in both lanes of the road, we've had to have police at some of the schools," Kelly said.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond