A out-of-town visit from a beloved aunt and a newborn baby should have made for a happy time for a New West family, but their visit was soured by a run-in with the city’s parking bylaw.
Brandon Chapman appeared before council Monday night to voice concerns about the section of the city’s street and traffic bylaw that prohibits vehicles from parking on the street for any continuous period exceeding 72 hours.
“I'm seeking a refund of $364.97 or an amendment to the bylaw to create an exemption under certain circumstances, such as family visits,” he told council Monday night.
Chapman said his 80-year-old aunt had travelled from the Okanagan on Oct. 16 to visit family and to meet his newborn baby.
“Our visit was dampened, maybe even ruined, in the case that my aunt's car was towed from the front of my house,” he said. “She had to spend $365, which she doesn't really have, to get her car back, as well spending a great deal of time driving back and forth to the lot.”
It was then that the Brow of the Hill resident learned bylaw 8275 prohibits cars from parking on the street for more than 72 hours.
Chapman said he assumes the bylaw was implemented to prevent vehicles from filling up the streets.
“I do think there might be a benefit to having exemptions for certain circumstances, like family visits. … I'm not saying we should not have the bylaw, but perhaps just an amendment to support local residents,” he said.
Chapman said his aunt received her first parking ticket at 1:32 p.m. but he didn't see it until later that evening as he had worked late. He said the car was ticketed again the following day, and subsequently towed.
Having paid $365 to retrieve his aunt’s vehicle, Chapman said he’d like a refund from the city or he’d like the city to make amendments to the bylaw, allowing vehicles to park or more than 72 hours in certain circumstances – such as those belonging to visiting relatives.
“With Christmas around the corner, I'm sure I won't be the only resident to appreciate this, as there may be some unexpected surprises around Christmas as well,” he said.
Lisa Leblanc, the city’s director of engineering, said the city doesn’t actively monitor vehicles that park on New West streets for more than 72 hours.
“We would be responding to a complaint if we were to enforce that particular provision of the street and traffic bylaw,” she said.
Leblanc noted the 72-hour limit refers to vehicles that have not moved in a 72-hour period.
“So, if the vehicle has moved, it can continue to park on that street,” she said. “That provision of the bylaw is intended to address vehicles that are simply being stored, not being parked and used regularly.”
Amendments to the street traffic bylaw, including the 72-hour parking limit, were introduced in September 2021.
“The bylaw amendment was brought forward for council's consideration to come in alignment with other municipalities in the region,” Leblanc explained. “New Westminster was quite unique in that there was there was no 72-hour provision, and we received a lot of complaints from the community about vehicles being stored long-term on-street. So, in response to those complaints, the bylaw amendment was brought forward and accepted by council.”
Coun. Jaimie McEvoy said he’s heard a stories about people who parked on the street for more than 72 hours, but were not storing vehicles. He said there could be variety of circumstances where exemptions may be warranted.
“I think that there should be a way for people to be able to apply for a temporary exemption,” he said.
Council unanimously passed McEvoy’s motion to refer the issue to staff so they can consider a possible mechanism for allowing people to apply for exemptions to the street and traffic bylaw. Staff will report back to council on the motion.
McEvoy questioned if people who feel they were unfairly ticketed have any mechanism to have that ticket reviewed.
“The tickets can be reconsidered through the adjudication process,” Leblanc said. “So it's my understanding how that process works is that the person can apply for adjudication and have it considered that way.”
