New rules for driving instructors let learners use city parking lots in Brampton

Driving instructors looking for a legal place to teach students can now run lessons at some city-owned parking lots in Brampton.

The change is part of Brampton’s new Driving Instruction Zones Pilot Project which launched this summer, giving licensed instructors and driving school operators access to parking lots at select recreation centres across the city without the fear of being ticketed.

Prior to the pilot program’s launch, driving instructors were not permitted to use city lots and have had encounters with police while giving lessons as private parking lots at grocery stores or shopping centres, which require permission from the owner for instructor use.

The Peel District School Board also prohibits lot use by driving instructors, leaving driving instructors with few options in Brampton Coun. Harkirat Singh said when moving the project forward earlier this year.

Brampton’s new one-year pilot project allows the city’s more than 800 registered driving instructors and more than 75 schools “a controlled and safe environment for new drivers to hone their skills” for a non-refundable $25 fee, the city says.

Once registered, instructors can access an online booking portal to reserve a 30-minute time slot at one of six Brampton Recreation centres between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.

The driving instructor zones have been placed in areas of the parking lots “with the least amount of vehicle traffic” to reduce risks to the public, the city says.

Here are all the Brampton Recreation parking lots that now have driving instructor zones:

• Cassie Campbell Community Centre
• Century Gardens Recreation Centre
• Earnscliffe Recreation Centre
• Gore Meadows Community Centre
• Save Max Sports Centre
• Susan Fennell Sportsplex

Driving instructors in Brampton obtain their licences through the Enforcement and By-law Services office.