A Rigaud resident who used to park her car in the municipal library car park at night is deploring a change in regulations that the municipality failed to mention. She had to pay $60 to find out the hard way. 

‘I live in a flat on rue Saint-Pierre and it's very clear in my lease that parking is not provided. So I had got into the habit of parking my car at the municipal library, located nearby. Recently, my car disappeared after I parked it there. I thought it had been stolen, but in the end it was towed away. The towing company then informed me that the regulations had changed and that the town had posted them on its website. Citizens were never informed of this change. Is this how Rigaud keeps everyone informed ’? 

Ms Houle started parking her car in her neighbour's yard across the street, with her permission, but in the end she had to find a longer-term solution. ‘The city told me I could park in the lot next to the post office. It's at least a 20-minute walk from my house. What do I do when it's -40? It's a good walk,’ she adds. 

Ms Houle would have liked the city to give its residents better notice of the ban. 

Limited space for users of municipal buildings 

Asked to comment, the Ville de Rigaud said that from November 15 to April 1, parking is permitted in about twenty parking spaces, including the 12 central spaces and those along the private property at 98, except from 7 am to 10 am to allow for snow removal and the spreading of abrasives.

‘It is also forbidden to leave a vehicle parked for long periods. It was not unusual to see vehicles parked for days, even weeks and sometimes even months, both in this car park and in the Town Hall car park (vehicles converted into igloos, some with punctures for example). For this reason, the Town will have them towed away if they interfere with operations, especially given the limited spaces for users of municipal buildings and the regulations. Motorists are invited to take a close look at the signs’, says the municipal administration. 

It should be noted that parking is also prohibited from midnight to 7 a.m. in the spaces along rue Saint-Pierre and those alongside the library building, for safety reasons and to allow staff to park on arrival at work.

The city confirms that it has no other public parking in this area. ‘However, the 20 spaces are never all occupied and many spaces are free,’ it says. 

Among the solutions put forward, the City is advising anyone renting a property to arrange parking spaces with the landlord before renting. ‘Like many municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC, Rigaud bans on-street parking from 15 November to 1 April. However, the town is sensitive to these issues and does not rule out the possibility of consulting other towns that currently offer the possibility of parking according to the permissions granted by the town, notably Vaudreuil and Valleyfield, given the changes in climate and the long periods when there is no rainfall.’