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[VicHockeyFan]

Tickets abound as tiny parking spots enforced
City will paint curbs to help people confused about size of their cars
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Font: * * * * Carolyn Heiman, Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Motorists thinking they are smart by squeezing oversize vehicles into Victoria's small car parking zones should think again.

Since the metered spots were created in June, hundreds of tickets have been issued to drivers either thinking their vehicles are small enough, or knowing they're not -- but trying to get away with it anyway. In fact, a whopping 224 tickets have been given out at just one meter at the corner of Johnson and Government streets -- the most problematic one. Only five of those tickets were for an expired meter.

So far, the city has been cancelling on a "one-time basis" tickets issued to vehicles where the owners claimed reasonably they thought their vehicles qualified for the three-metre parking space, said Victor Vanden Boomen, manager of parking services.

Drivers only get one chance, and those behind the wheel of SUVs, vans and other vehicles obviously too long are not offered the courtesy cancellation.

But since there seems to be such confusion about the spots, the city this week will begin painting a white line along the curb from the bright green small meter and ending where the vehicle would have to end to qualify.

"It's obvious that most people don't know the size of their car," Vanden Boomen said.

Gillian Easdon, driver of a two-door hatchback, was among drivers misunderstanding the spots, garnering her first parking ticket.

"I didn't even notice the green parking meters until I got the parking ticket.

"Size really does matter," she quipped.

A check by the Times Colonist last Friday evening of 10 small parking spots found only one qualifying vehicle; the others had tickets waving on their windshields, signalling they shouldn't have been parking there.

The city carved out the 25 small car spaces in areas previously designated no-parking after being lobbied by the motorcycle owners.

The space is large enough for Smart cars, motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and a few older European sports cars such as Fiats. New Mini Coopers are too long, as are Echos. And the same would be definitely true for the red van with the licence plate WEINER recently seen parking at one of the spots.

[gumgum]

I saw the pic in the paper with this article. A Durango parked in one the spots getting a ticket.
Dumbass.

[VicHockeyFan]

I've never seen these spots. Are they well-marked with the rules?

[Holden West]

If these drivers aren't noticing bright lime-green parking meters with clear instructional signs bolted to them you have to ask yourself what else are they not noticing?

Some whiner recently took time out of his day to write a letter to the editor complaining about getting ticketed for being three centimetres past the 30 centimetre distance-to-the-curb limit. Well pal, Commissionaires work on my taxpaying nickel...sometimes they give you a break--sometimes they stick to the rules. And the rules say 30 cm, not 30 cm give or take a few depending on how the wind's blowing.

Parking complainers drive me crazy. They might want to try the radical experiment of simply obeying known parking laws.

Street parking will continue to be harder to find. Parking hogs who abuse City-employed Commissionaires for not giving them an extra five minutes make it difficult for others to find a space. Are these people asking their apartment landlords for an extra day's rent?

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Ya, I don't get that either. It's like the photo-radar that gave you 11kmh grace. Why?

But people are stupid. I'm sure you've been with a parker that sees multiple signs (like "2h M-Sa 1PM-5PM" and also maybe "Commercial loading zone M-F 7AM-1PM") and just decides it's too tough to undertand, so just avoids the space. When you tell them it's OK (because you can understand the rules) they tell you, still skeptical, that if they get a ticket you have to pay it.

[G-Man]

I saw a silverado crew cab in the one at Fort and Government. The ass of the truck was practically on Government street.

They did have a ticket though thank god.

[renthefinn]

What do you guys think of a worn out yellow line on the curb that hasn't been repainted, but everything else has, and then you're 6 inches past the old unpainted line with your bumper. I thought the new line took precedence over old lines? That cost me like $30 once, several years ago.

[Mike K.]

I saw a Toyota pickup wedged up against an extended sidewalk bulb (one tire just barely off the edge) and the front bumper an inch from a sedan.

...parked in the green pygmy parking spot.

Brilliant.

Oh, and a ticket was prominently displayed under the wiper blades.

[Holden West]

You know, between those spaces and a possible massive increase in the fine for public urination, this City will be flowing in new revenue. Call it a "stupidity tax."

[skookum]

I'm not so happy about the parking situation here in town. The street I live on was re-zoned (before I moved in BTW) from residential to 2 hour/weekdays and Saturday. The city says if you live in an apartment building (which I do), and if that building doesn't provide parking for it's tennants (which it doesn't) then you can apply for an exemption sticker valid for your block only. The catch? Your building cannot have any commercial spaces on site (mine's got a small corner store). So because I chose to live in an apartment with a corner store downstairs, city hall won't issue an exemption. It's getting harder and harder to drive in this town. Think I'll get a bike.

[Mike K.]

Sounds like the City royally screwed up. You'd be best served to write council, perhaps even submit a letter on behalf of the rest of the tenants including the landlord/manager?

You may be able to receive special permission becuase the corner store isn't exactly the type of retail that eats into neighbourhood parking. And if the store does attract some vehicle traffic all the city would have to do is provide one or two spaces for 5-minute stops.

[Ben Smith]

I think we should add a floor to every parkade in the downtown core.

Just a thought...

Ben

[Holden West]

^That's an excellent idea if it's possible. We might one day build another parkade to replace the surface parking lots we're losing. It would be good if they were incorporated into the facades of buildings so they don't look like parkades like they do in Paris.

[renthefinn]

How about a building on the outside with parking in the core. I doubt they could add floors to existing parkades without significant retrofits. Cause they weren't designed for more load, and seismic considerations are now more understood, so they would have to compensate for more dead load and seismic load, but while they were built they were probably built as economically as possible, so they'd likely not be able to compensate for both factors, if at all one. Carbon fibre reniforcement is a possiblility, but it likely could'nt compensate for both sources of increased load. This is just a wild guess!

[Holden West]

I can only assume this guy is ranting about the new Smart Car mini parking spaces. I don't see what the big deal is--they're for anything under three metres and the spaces are bringing in revenue in previously unused curbspace plus they're an incentive for downsizing automobiles.
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Traffic policy set by the fringe groups

Times Colonist
Published: Monday, October 23, 2006

I am trying to understand why the City of Victoria would allow itself to be lobbied by a motorcycle gang to spend further untold, without mandate, thousands of dollars to grant them special status for parking on our downtown streets.

Do motorcycles reduce congestion on our downtown roadways? No. Any sane driver will tell you they will yield just as much room traveling down the road to a motorcycle, as they will a car.

Do motorcycles reduce pollution? No. Referencing recent Transport Canada documents, the pollution put out by motorcycles is largely unregulated and there are apparently no plans to change their current policy up to the year 2020.

Do motorcycles reduce noise pollution? Quite clearly, no.

I don't think a reasonable person could be faulted for suggesting every single decision implemented by of the City of Victoria in recent years, as it apples traffic movement, has been to frustrate mainstream Victorians and to cater to fringe pressure groups. They quite clearly don't have a mandate from the voters to implement this madness.

It is therefore no wonder downtown business associations are getting rather angry as well.

John L. Krysa,

Oak Bay.

[gumgum]

John L. Kryse huh?
Sounds like the words of a recently joined member of this forum.
Can anybody say JLK?

[G-Man]

Interesting!

[Holden West]

I would agree with our friend that unlike auto companies, motorcycle manufacturers have been getting away outdated standards for pollution control. And don't get me started on small-dicked Harley owners and straight pipes. That's a rant for another thread.

[gumgum]

OMG^I'm so with you there Holden.

[Mike K.]

Do you know what the excuse is for the loud pipes?

Safety! Belive it or not, bikers claim the loud exhaust makes drivers aware of their presence -- and the presence of a two-kilometer square area.