This is what some might call abusing your role as a public commentator and others might say is courageous investigative reporting, but I just have to gripe momentarily about annoying policies — some new, some old — in the city’s money-making parking department.
One is: Have you noticed that the city has shortened up its time to pay tickets without having the fine doubled from what used to be over 30 days to 14 days? And it no longer sends notices in the mail to let you know you have a parking ticket until after that 14-day period has passed.
So it’s taken me a few $100 parking tickets to catch on. Sneaky. Plus some poor sucker soon, if it hasn’t happened already, is going to have to fight a tedious fight to prove that s/he never saw the original ticket and therefore didn’t have a chance to pay by the 14-day deadline because no city notice arrived before then.
Second gripe: You get ticketed EVEN IF YOU HAVE PAID THE FULL AMOUNT if you’re driving a car that is different from the one you normally drive and you forget to change the licence number when you phone in your payment on your cell.
I’ve done it three times now, twice in a rental car, once in a friend’s car, because I pay by phone for parking dozens of times a month and do it so automatically that I don’t even listen to the voice telling me what licence plate it’s for.
The city will forgive one parking ticket a year if you can come up with a reasonable excuse. But it won’t forgive the ticket, even though you may have pay their extortionate fees in full but for the wrong car. Can’t figure out why they would be so piggy about it — it’s not as though there’s some sneaky way I could also park my own car at the same time at another meter and somehow get away with something.
Go ahead, let the floodgates open for the griping. Let’s get it out of our systems before Christmas and then we’ll all be nice and jolly after.
(I realize this post betrays my hopeless addiction to the car. I admit it and am grateful for the city’s harm-reduction program that allows me to keep using until I’m ready to quit.)
107 responses so far ↓
1 Bill Lee // Dec 7, 2011 at 10:24 am
Not to notice that with “free” parking, cars stay all day: Meters were supposed to clear the space every hour as people come and go, not stay all day on the street.
I haven’t heard of any mall parking enforcing their 3 hour max rule though.
I see that armed forces veterans (zombies and non-war ones too) are protesting the lack of special consideration in the suburbs in 24 hours. ( Stephanie Ip has really taken over the parking beat. )
Veterans frustrated at lack of parking
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/local/2011/12/06/19082566.html
“Local veterans say the city’s parking enforcement is too aggressive and they want those who’ve served their country to be given a break. Unlike most metro cities, including Surrey and Richmond, Vancouver doesn’t provide free parking to veterans.” [ more ]
2 Joe Just Joe // Dec 7, 2011 at 10:35 am
Following up to Peters post #99. I too thought the street end parking for scooters/motorcycles was a great idea. The fact they put meters on them has really killed it though. I almost never seem them used, but what I do see is motorcycles and scooters parked in every bike carrall around town. Never seen one ticketed for doing so, also love the mopeds that drive up onto the sidewalk and park against a tree in clear violation of city bylaws but again not ticketed. Take away the green top meters and let them park free and start ticketing the ones that park where they shouldn’t.
3 Bill Lee // Dec 8, 2011 at 11:10 am
The Central Post Office used to have many motor bikes parked out front.
Unsightly said the CPO, and they moved elsewhere.
Now I see that they are back and parking all day near the CPO on Dunsmuir and other places.
Bully for them. Create the triangles and longer (as the Burnaby Soviet has done) and don’t meter them.
Lets have the buzz of a hundred CCs filling the afternoon streets. With advanced 2-wheeler intersection lane spaces as the City is painting on Homer, Richards and other streets downtown.
4 Chris Keam // Dec 8, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Word of warning re: motorbike parking downtown. A colleague was dinged for a few hundred bucks and had his motorbike towed because he was marginally outside the magic painted triangle or whatever it is that designates the parking area for motorcycles.
5 Everyman // Dec 8, 2011 at 9:39 pm
@Chris Keam 104
Ouch! A few hundred bucks? Is that what the city is charging, or the towing company? Seems pretty steep.
6 Chris Keam // Dec 9, 2011 at 8:49 am
I forget the complete details, but I think the ticket has something to do with being a hazard or similar (ie more than just the cost of a regular parking ticket), plus the cost of having the bike towed.
7 burnt45 // Dec 10, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Interesting motorbike comments – I was wondering when someone would pick up on this. I was excited to see they put a motorcycle parking area in front of my building – it was one of those parking triangles that can’t be used for anything else. The spot was filled with at least 3 bikes and scooters daily. Some of our residents bitched about the motorcycles parked in front, but other than that, it worked well. Then a few months ago, a shiny new green parking meter for motorcyles appeared. It takes visa cards etc. I can imagine it cost a lot of money to install and pay for this fancy new meter. Guess what…..not one single motorcycle or scooter has used it since. No-one on a bike or scooter is going to pay for a meter when you can squeeze them in almost anywhere. I can’t believe the greedy attempt at a cash grab which in the end will likely never pay for itself. Most cities provide free parking for motorcycles or scooters to encourage a more environmentally friendly form of transportation. Apparently this isn’t part of the Cities green initative.