5619 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

One parking lot, two sets of rules
Times Colonist
Published: Monday, July 16, 2007

I recently flew via Harbour Air to Vancouver in the morning and returned late afternoon.

I parked my vehicle in the lower Wharf Street parking lot. Signs advised that I was required to purchase a parking permit and, as I am familiar with the Robbins sign, I purchased an $18, 12-hour parking pass from that dispenser.

Upon my return I found two parking tickets from City of Victoria commissionaires. The infraction stated "Park with no valid ticket."
How can this be when I had a valid ticket clearly displayed? It never occurred to me that two different parking contractors operate within this area, which has one entrance and one exit.

When I went to City Hall and presented my permit, I was told I had purchased my permit from a Robbins dispenser, not the City of Victoria's.

The city employee told me she would cancel one ticket and that I could appeal the second ticket and gave me a form that I had to submit to City Hall. I asked the employee how she could arbitrarily cancel one ticket, yet enforce the second.

I then went to Robbins office and explained the circumstances. I was told that were the situation reversed, both tickets would have been immediately cancelled.

My experience with Victoria's aggressive parking enforcement and the inflexible staff attitude reinforces the reasons shoppers are spending money at malls and not downtown Victoria.

John H. Hill,

Langford.


© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

[Holden West]

That might be the first parking gripe I've read where the guy seems to have a legitimate complaint.

I've never parked down there. Does this guy have a case?

[gumgum]

I parked there once and almost fell into the same trap.
Could be easily done.

[Galvanized]

Ya, that's a confusing lot.

Speaking of tickets, the other day my wife was loading our 2 kids into their car seats when the meter expired (she times it to the minute) and along comes one Victoria's finest when she's buckling in our youngest and writes her a ticket! Unreal.

[VicHockeyFan]

Ya, that's a confusing lot.

Speaking of tickets, the other day my wife was loading our 2 kids into their car seats when the meter expired (she times it to the minute) and along comes one Victoria's finest when she's buckling in our youngest and writes her a ticket! Unreal.

That's lame. The rule should be that if you are at the car, no ticket will be written. Even if you are sitting in it at the wheel waiting for your partner to come back to it. Person in or near car, no ticket - real simple.

[Ms. B. Havin]

That's lame. The rule should be that if you are at the car, no ticket will be written. Even if you are sitting in it at the wheel waiting for your partner to come back to it. Person in or near car, no ticket - real simple.

I'm with you on that one. If the commissionaire can ask the driver to move on, s/he should do that instead of issuing a ticket. As for ticketing someone who's buckling a toddler into a safety seat -- incredible.

[zoomer]

Devil's advocate (and using "you" generically): You're past your time - means you're past your time = ticket. I'm sure the parking folks have heard every excuse in the book, don't blame them, blame yourself. Take into account the time it takes to strap your child in a car seat. It's not their job to weigh the value or legitimacy of your excuse. The real reason you got a ticket has nothing to do with the fact that you're strapping your child in a car seat, it's because you came back too late to leave on time.

like I said, just being a devil's advocate here..and one who doesn't own a car. :smt077

[Ms. B. Havin]

^ you know what I think the problem is? The commissionaires aren't really law-enforcers, they're simply punishers (even though they masquerade as enforcers, but everyone knows they're just out to punish us). A law enforcer has discretion ("M'am, I hope you're planning to move on directly -- your meter is expired!"), but a punisher just tries to catch you "in the act." On the surface, it looks similar, but it seems to me that the punisher has no real power, except the power to punish (and annoy). A law enforcer has a lot more authority, and gets a lot more respect.

Yeah, the argument is valid -- your meter expired, you should have planned differently/ better, etc. But I still think that reasonable enforcement (v. punishment) isn't always going for the "gotcha!"

[m0nkyman]

What do you folks think is the reason for metered parking? To punish people for coming downtown? To drive away business?

Because that's what's being advocated by a zero tolerance approach.

[Holden West]

I tend to agree with zoomer... (is anyone giving me a break on my mortgage, insurance or Visa bill?) No.

However, didn't they recently introduce a "grace period" as part of the "kinder, gentler" parking enforcement? Sounds like some gal didn't get the memo.

[VicHockeyFan]

I tend to agree with zoomer... (is anyone giving me a break on my mortgage, insurance or Visa bill?) No.

However, didn't they recently introduce a "grace period" as part of the "kinder, gentler" parking enforcement? Sounds like some gal didn't get the memo.

Look, when you get a ticket and you don't see the person writing it, fair enough. But when you run to your car, or are already there and the guy/gal is giving you the ticket and won't cancel it, now you put a face to the asshole.

I know it's hard to get $10/hr folks to use descretion, but jeez already.

[aastra]

It never occurred to me that two different parking contractors operate within this area, which has one entrance and one exit.

Methinks this guy got screwed. Where's the dividing line between the lots? Is it indicated? I presume he's talking about the lot north of the customs house.

So who does the ramp down into that lot belong to?

[VicHockeyFan]

The dividing line is the ramp out. He walked right past the City meter to get to the Robbins one.

[LJ]

There used to be a grace period of 5 minutes on all expired meters. Several months ago they increased it to 10 minutes, I know because I have been both a victim and beneficiary of it.

I know that some of the parking enforcement persons are a little over zealous but I can't imagine any of them giving you a ticket while you were actively loading your vehicle.

Would they be able to tell if you were just leaving or just arriving?

[gumgum]

I know I've mentioned this before, but get a parking card at city hall. You buy a 25 dollar refillable card for 30 bucks and you fill the meter and empty what's leftover when you leave.
It's great because you don't have to guess how long you will be, and you won't have to fumble with change. I mostly walk d/t, but when I drive, I feel naked without it.
Refilling it is no extra charge.
They now sell them at the 7-11. You simply exchange your empty one for a full $25 one for no extra charge. But I won't do that again. I stupidly bought one there without checking at the nearest meter right away to see if it was actually full. It was a couple weeks later that I tried it for the first time and the piece of **** was empty. I tried getting a refund but they wouldn't give me one because I had thrown away my receipt and it had been so long since I had originally bought it. So I was out 25 big ones.
I doubt they duped me on purpose, but I'm still pissed off about it.

[Ms. B. Havin]

^ hmm, well, after an experience like that, how can you still recommend this card? (Taking a leaf from zoomer's page -- devil's advocate here...) I'd be so pissed off, I'd probably think about taking a baseball bat to a couple of meters (not really), and I'd never buy a card again.

Something similar happened to me with a long distance phone card. That's it -- no more phone cards. I use Skype now. (I don't subscribe to a long distance plan from my landline, hence I did use phone cards. Now it's Skype all the way. And way cheaper. But that's off-topic -- our cars aren't digital/virtual...!)

[gumgum]

^ I live life on the edge.
Actually because I was buying the card for quite a while through city hall before 7-11 started to sell them, I purely blame 7-11. I now buy my refills only at city hall - the only place where they have the machine to actually fill it up, so I can see the money physically filling the card, so to speak, on a little display. Plus, there's a third advantage to the cards that I didn't mention, in that I save money. I don't ever drive away with time leftover in the meter, because I've taken it with me. It adds up, believe me.

[Holden West]

And sometime soon you should be able to buy time using your cell phone, so no need for coins or cards.

Although we should probably still leave coins in the meters for the addicts so they have something to find when the bust them open. You know I hate to disappoint them.

[Galvanized]

What do you folks think is the reason for metered parking? To punish people for coming downtown? To drive away business?

Because that's what's being advocated by a zero tolerance approach.

I totally agree with you. We are starting up a business downtown and with what I'm starting to experience with parking I'm starting to regret it.

I also agree with Ms B on how some of them are there to punish you. In the past I have been loading my kids when the meter expired when the commissionaire has walked by checking it and has kept walking, to say they are not there to "weigh the value" is wrong because they do. There is no consistency in Alan Lowe's "grace period" and the "kinder, gentler" commissionaire (which is turning out to be BS).

[aastra]

So do we think they should try experimenting with free parking downtown?