Drive up Woodley Road towards the house of Jim Smith, and it becomes obvious what angers him.

Lines of gravel, interrupted here and there, parallel the road. They are remnant of recent upgrades to local storm and water sewers on this quiet one-way street.

For Smith, the work has compounded the parking problem in the area, a quiet collection of understated but pleasant homes off Richmond south of Mount Tolmie.

B次元官网网址淭here is a serious [parking] problem,B次元官网网址� he told council last month. It is actually getting worse with this upgrade.B次元官网网址�

The parking problem stems from several reasons. First, the area is popular with students attending nearby post-secondary institutions. The University of Victoria (UVic) lies to the northeast, the Lansdowne Campus of Camosun College to the south. So when house parties and other get-to-togethers happen, parking quickly becomes an issue, said Smith.

B次元官网网址淲hen you get parties, I have seen the road full of cars,B次元官网网址� he said.

Second, the area is popular with those who do not want to pay for parking at nearby Camosun College, said Smith.

This B次元官网网址渆xcessiveB次元官网网址� amount of parking in turn restricts the access of fire trucks and ambulances, said Smith.

B次元官网网址淎nd now that they [Saanich] are taking some of the parking at the side of the road parking that has been there for 30 years, it is only going to increase the problem. Now is the time to put it right,B次元官网网址� said Smith.

Smith made these remarks two weeks ago, while speaking duringB次元官网网址檚 council open forum, during which he submitted a petition from area residents and presented his solution for the problem.

B次元官网网址淪imply remove the soft soil from the municipal shoulder, where appropriate to a depth of 12 inches, then replace with two-inch rock with a covering of gravel,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f any home owner would like to maintain the grass coverage, they can simply brush top soil into the rock and seed it with grass. This in turn would increase maintain the hard shoulder for parking, resulting in no damage.B次元官网网址�

Smith also pushed for additional signage on Woodley Road to stop non-residents from parking in the area, which has already been experiencing what he described as an increase in foot, bicycle and motorcycle traffic, thanks to a narrow, unpaved trail that connects Woodley Road with University Woods, thereby creating a linkage between Richmond Road and Foul Bay Road.

In fact, a black-clad motorcyclist had driven past SmithB次元官网网址檚 house just minutes before he showed off the area.

Smith hopes Saanich will soon take him up on his concerns.

B次元官网网址淚 really want to make sure that there is good, solid parking on both sides of the street,B次元官网网址� he said.

Megan Catalano, a spokesperson for the District of Saanich, said last week Saanich cannot say much about the issue at this stage.

B次元官网网址淲e need to communicate with the resident before we can share anything,B次元官网网址� she said.