How to avoid a parking ticket in Vernon

KEEPING IT SIMPLE? CITY CREATES 32-PAGE POLICY

VERNON – A new parking policy is driving some politicians up the wall.

A draft policy came before Vernon city council Tuesday, and while it was ultimately endorsed, it garnered some harsh criticism. The 32-page policy, which will be published on the city website, gathers up all existing bylaws and best practices in one place to help the public—and the enforcers—understand the rules.

“This could be advertised as ‘how to avoid getting a parking ticket,” the city’s transportation technician Amanda Watson said.

But Coun. Catherine Lord described the policy as “using a hammer to kill a mosquito” and said she just couldn’t support it.

“I don’t even know how they’re going to implement this,” Lord said. “Are they (bylaw officers) going to carry it (policy) with them?”

“If you’re going to have that detail of how to write a parking ticket there’s something wrong with society… common sense is gone.”

She also questioned whether motorists would take the time to look up the document online.

“I don’t know one of my neighbours who would actually read it,” she said.

Coun. Juliette Cunningham also took issue with the policy, though only with part of it. The policy states that vehicles parked at out of order meters will be fined, but Cunningham doesn’t think that’s fair.

“They’re supposed to get back in their car and… go find (another) parking spot?” she said.

Clint Kanester, manager of bylaw enforcement, said it’s important to keep those parking spots open for the repairmen when they come to fix the meter.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helsotn at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston.