Iqaluit drivers are notorious for turning a blind eye to such fool notions as yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks and not parking across someone's driveway. So the City Council had the brilliant idea of enacting the Traffic, Parking, and Walkways By-law. The by-law passed first reading at a meeting last November and, because this is such a momentous change, the city is planning a public consultation.

The city of Iqaluit, in an effort to bring some order to its chaotic streets, is introducing fines for traffic and safety violations.

The city's proposed traffic, parking and walkways bylaw introduces such concepts as not parking at an intersection, stopping at crosswalks, and not driving on pedestrian walkways.

It also requires residents to park in designated parking areas, not in front of people's driveways, and to back into the back-in parking stalls.

That sounds pretty radical. Some are wondering whether Iqaluit drivers can make the adjustment. City councillor Claude Martel:

"Nobody in this town stops at stop sign, so they don't even stop for crosswalk people, they don't. I've seen it and I'm sure you [see it], he says. So how are they going to enforce that when they only have two enforce[ment officers] for the whole town?"

Iqaluit has experienced significant growth since becoming capital of the new territory of Nunavut in 1999. The streets were not even named until 2002. (UPDATE: That final sentence is not accurate, says Prairie Words in the comments.)