The disgusting cash grab from the poor continues this year. People without alternate parking are the less affluent members of HRM. Those with money are parking in their garages and driveways already and never feel the sting of a ridiculous ticket issued on a warm, snow-free night. Adding insult to injury is the fact that when there is a snow storm, HRM does a pathetic job of clearing the streets anyway – parked cars or not. Go ahead and ticket cars that obstruct snow removal, but STOP this transparent, aggressive, and mean-spirited financial attack on those with the least to spare.
—Fenton Parafin
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2009.
see
http://www.thecoast.ca/LovetheWayWeBitch/a…
http://www.thecoast.ca/LovetheWayWeBitch/a…
http://www.thecoast.ca/LovetheWayWeBitch/a…
http://www.thecoast.ca/LovetheWayWeBitch/a…
If you’re so “poor” then how the hell do you afford a car/insurance/gas/other car-related expenses?
Fuck sakes, I’m not poor and I still can’t afford a car (I bum off ma and pa), so if the “poor” have cars…well they’re not really all that “poor” now, are they?
Plus, if you don’t have a place to park, you’re likely living downtown — downtown is EXPENSIVE as fuck…soooo how are those people “poor”?
And if you can’t afford all the related costs of your vehicle (PARKING INCLUDED), then you can’t really afford that car, now can you?
Buy a fucking bus pass ffs.
Owning a car isn’t expensive. Save up and buy a used one. My insurance is less than 100 bucks a month. You say cars aren’t necesary, so why do you borrow a car at all? Why not use Halifax’s “perfectly good transit”?
cause some days, ya just don’t feel like being vomited on.
When I have to go out of town, usually, which is rare. I generally take the bus exclusively.
A used car CAN be inexpensive to buy, but a bus pass (regular adult) is $70/month. If your insurance is less than 100 bucks, I’m assuming it’s more than 50 (because you’d say “less than 50 if it was). On top of insurance you have gas (a car doesn’t run off of air) plus you have to fix it when it breaks (and used cars are generally not under warranty, and even if they are there’s a milage limit on most warranties, and a used car is prone to breaking more than a new car). Then you have to buy snow tires (which…oye are EXPENSIVE — might not have to buy them EVERY year, but one pay out is almost always in the hundreds). Works out to A LOT more the $70/month. Even more if you have to park it somewhere for the winter (I’ve heard it can be up to $200+ a month in some lots downtown).
you forgot inspection and plates, oil changes, undercoating…
I could go on but the point has been made.
Those with the least to spare DON’T HAVE CARS. Get over yourself and your car.
… How can you be speaking on how expensive it is to own a car when you don’t even own one? I own one, so therefore, I know how much owning a car actually costs. Snow tires last for years, plates are a one-time expense, factored in at the time of purchase. Oil changes you can do yourself etc… Quite frankly, I need a car in order to actually enjoy Nova Scotia. There’s no public transit to Lawrencetown, or ANY beach, there’s no public transit to some residential areas of the HRM, and my family lives in the valley. My insurance, if you want to know, is 67.00 a month, which is cheaper than a bus pass, and I gladly pay it in order to avoid the supreme inconvenience that is Halifax Public Transit.
Hey sarey, I dare you to not renew your ANNUAL registration and see how far that “one-time expense” for plates gets ya.
For 3 bucks more you can get a bus pass. I’m sure you spend more than 3 bucks on gas/month.
My point is, sarey, that too many people have cars that can’t afford them. I know one dummy who went out and bought a $35,000 car when she makes barely more than that. All these people are bitching about how expensive these fines are and how parking is an issue. You CAN find parking, it’ll just cost you, and that’s the issue — people can’t afford to pay for parking. I don’t care who has a car and who doesn’t, I’m just tired of people bitching because they’re being ‘inconvenienced’ by HRM because THEY, THEMSELVES didn’t figure in the ACTUAL costs of owning a car. It’s like people who buy a house and figure their mortgage is the only thing they’ll have to pay besides utilities. Basically, there are way too many car-poor people on the peninsula — people who can’t fucking afford their cars. My point is that all these people could be using public transit instead of bitching because they won’t take any personal responsibility.
And I know exactly how much it costs to have a car because I have parents with a car (a used one at that!) and I know how much they’re spending in insurance and gas and maintenance because that’s all. they. ever. talk. about. I don’t know exact numbers, but I know it’s more than 70 bucks a month.
LOL, Kay. I love it. S/he’d probably come on here and write a bitch about impound fees because OMG IT’S NOT HER/HIS FAULT THE CAR’S REGISTRATION COSTS MONEY! *shock*
Besides contacting your city official, another way to protest this is everyone who gets a ticket, go to court. Flood the courthouse with people & plead ‘not guilty’. You still have that right. You think for one minute if 50 people on the same street ticketed at the same time all arrive in the same courthouse & refuse to pay their ticket & request jail time, that the resources exist to put you in jail ?
On a different tack…how can we be under a winter parking ban…when it isn’t officially winter yet ?
Follow this guys idea and see where you get with it !!!!
Beats bitching !!!!
Pretty Kitty – I’ve been really holding off on saying this because I’m not one to personally attack people via the internet and I know you’re going to have a male hissy fit, but you’re probably the shittiest person on here. God damn you’re annoying, I bet you’re like 30 and still sponge off your parents and work a dead end job. No matter what you pay for your car its 1000x more convenient and usable for anyone that actually has real responsibilities, commitments, jobs, family outside of peninsular halifax, busy schedule, girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever.
If you don’t need a car that’s cool, you should be happy that you have a lifestyle that allows you to go without something that ALOT of people find essential, but to say that anyone that pays more than a bus pass for a car is an idiot may be the stupidest thing ever said on this forum. Get off your high horse and do something productive for a change.
Get real and grow the fuck up.
hog, one doesn’t get to “do time in lieu of” paying a parking ticket. It doesn’t matter if you goto court because the law is what it is at that moment. If you got a parking citation GUILTY is what you are which is why it’s considered summary offense against the registered owner of the car. To change the law you need to… change the law. A petition may be a good start but one has to wonder where the fucking petition was that made the parking ban law in the first place. Gotta love a town council who bothers to ask and then bothers to listen.
neville_sanzibar, many bitches will disagree with what you’ve said about the kitty but let me be the first. You should consider families sharing cars as part of a green initiative whether circumstance makes it so or not.
I’m referring to having “fine option ” which is community service instead of either paying the fine or doing the time . It exists – trust me .
I’m with kay… and I hope you haven’t judged kitty on just this topic…
you should see her pole dance on the MT some time.
I’m dying to.
neville, it IS way more convenient. No doubt…. but you have to pay through the nose for it.
To me, it was well worth it so I don’t have to hop a 3 hour shuttle in a strange van with (let’s be honest) crazy and freaky people. I get up and go on my clock and can take as long as I want to meander through towns if I want to pick up some scott’s skins or something.
Just don’t pay the ticket – wait a few months and voila you have an arrestable warrant . Now three things happen on summary convictions – you pay the warrant – you opt for fine option wherein you do comminity service hours to pay the fine – you do nothing – and you land in jail . the days in jail in payment are this – 8 x minimum wage per day until fine is paid . Just to clarify .
@ Pretty Kitty: Your posts show you to be a real dimwit. You miss the simple fact that ticketing cars on a snow-free, warm night with no hint of snow in the forecast is a cash grab, plain and simple… and the folks getting fleeced are the less well-to-do citizens (and consequently, they are also the ones with the least resources with which to fight back).
Go back to sponging off of your parents and keep your clueless opinions to yourself.
Kay, it’s bi-annual, and yeah, I forgot about that 57.00 / year expense. I can see how some people may go overboard and spend too much on a car, but I don’t. I’m just explaining that owning a car is a manageable expense, and it’s not difficult to budget in your expenses. ONE of the reasons people bitch about the winter parking ban is the fact that even if they can afford parking, there is NONE to rent.
hog, your experience with criminal court is showing.
Yea it shows well I’m a typical scotian . Also shows i can refute your previous post with clarity . I didn’t go one about changing the law of which already exists for summary conviction fine defaults.
One person can get a bus pass for $70. Families (2 adults, 2 children) pay $250 per month. While the parents are crossing metro stopping at every stop and hoping to not miss their connection, the babysitter is charging by the hour. Since a family cannot carrying home (on the bus) the groceries they would need for the week, the cost of cabbing must be added. Forget drives in the country, to the beach, to anywhere outside of Metro, since your lifestyle will be dictated by the boundaries of the bus route. Forget working at the only jobs you can find if they also operate outside of metro (homeless/poor working farms and such? that’s a joke).
The thing is: the poorest drivers get punished more severely. They will struggle to pay a ticket or fine for months (or have to give up their license because they cannot do it which makes them even poorer), while a better off driver will simple write a cheque.
So far at the LTWWB it has been suggested that the poor:
Not have cars.
Not have children.
Not have pets.
Not take helping hand.
Not have Christmas.
Not have pleasure.
Not have hopes, expectations or desires.
I am sure I am leaving out many other suggestions. Why don’t we just round them up, sterilize them, chain them to a tractor and feed them the imperfect produce that the consumer doesn’t want (rather than Mr. Noodle because it will make them fat)?
I’d like to make it simple . Disregarding peples income statuses . If you buy a car shit box escallade or whatever – before you do that – maybe make sure you have a place to park it first – especially if you live in a city that enforced a winter parking ban . People that ticket cars and city hall that asks them to ticket cars – don’t have knowledge of your financial status , they only have knowledge that your vehicle is parked illegally at said time of writing . Maybe it is hard to find a place to park ( though i find this only a bigger issue in hali’s south and noth ends ). I personally had a personal vehicle and work vehicle i had to park but was a darksider with a driveway and neighbors that didn’t mind you parking in theirs with permission . Now – also – i do tend to see that in the north and south ends of halifax predominately are more enforced – last winter when i was home for awhile – i rarely seen a car ticketed in dartmouth when it was warm and no snow . Maybe hali gets picked on more then the darkside ? Maybe the ticket cops aka sucritas might be scared to get an asswhooping from a pissed off darksider giving tickets down quet go nowhere streets? Beats me – but i think hali is being picked on more then dartmouth – high profile ? NO – They just know parking is almost impossible in those narrow streeted arreas and pick on it . Just my opinion .
Sarey, I own a vehicle and I can say that in all honesty, it’s cheaper for me to go on the bus, than anything else. The vehicle is there for out of the way trips (i.e.: grocery store, the BLIP, Dartmouth Crossing) where bus travel is inconsistent at best, or is just too complicated. It’s significantly cheaper to run on the bus. $70/month over $200+ for my car. I’m lucky to be able to afford a car. When I was working Downtown, the bus was actually cheaper than parking. Poor people can afford a vehicle, but we really need to define what is “poor”, because the truly poor cannot even afford a bus.
HKM— I think that we’re not suggesting that poor people have things. I think, however, there are people out there that put something like a car above their children/food/whatever else is more important. There is a very significant car culture in HRM, and there seems to be a misconception that everyone “deserves” a car. That is not true. Driving is a privilege, not a right.
cedricposter: the problem *is* if they didn’t ticket people all the time no one would pay attention to the ban and/or take it seriously and a surprise snow storm at 2am (it *has* happened before) means the streets would be lined with cars and the ploughs can’t get through. And guess who’s the first to call HRM and bitch about un-ploughed streets? The asshats who parked their cars on the street.
Miles was right: the city CAN’T win, either way!
Yes, but it can be a necessity or (when dealing with transporting a family) cheaper than traveling on the bus in the long run, as well. I saw two drivable vehicles to give away on Kijiji recently. My father-in-law gave me a car once. People sometimes win a car, or buy one and then fall on hard times, or can make small payments in private sale. So, it is the rising cost of getting a license, insurance, inspection, registration, parking, maintenance and gas (etc.) that is making it a richer man’s privilege.
I personally think that busing to work is the smartest way to go, but I realize that not having a car closes the door on many opportunities and experiences for workers and their families.
Pretty Kitty, the city can do better.
They could use some common sense…I realise they have absolutly none of it collectively, I’m hoping just one councillor has some & can bring a glimmer of it to a meeting & get the rest of the assholes to listen to it ! (I know don’t hold our breath)
Today I was talking about this problem in downtown Dartmouth, with a bartender I know who also parks on the street, he’s usually done by 1:30 am 2am is about the very latest, yet he is under threat of ticket, because he’s parked on the street because he’s working ! Luckily the downtown parking lots are pretty much empty after 9 pm & he’s been moving his car to a parking lot. But in Halifax, you don’t have that option, as close by.
Blah blah boo hoo. “Whatever will I do now?”,” How dare they give me a ticket!”,” All I did was park my car.” You broke a bylaw. Pay the fifty bucks and shut your excuse-hole. I have heard so many lame-ass reasons for people doing whatever they feel like. Did you just arrive from Icanparkanywhereanytimeville?
Bylaws or laws are there to make sure everybody can be reasonably safe and comfortable and you may feel you are being picked on but you are no different than the other whiners who are full of crap.
For example, if the sign says “NO DOGS AT ANY TIME”, only the “I’m blind” excuse will do.
“I live in the neighborhood”, “I have a political science degree”, You don’t know what I was doing in there” ” I’m a veteran” ….. All a load of bullshit. If it was any more explicit it would have everyones name on it too. But it applies to everyone.
Give it up and stop your baby whining and pony up the $50.
I remember driving myself to the Grace in the middle of the night to have a baby (two hours later) and having to park at a meter in a storm (January). Both a parking ticket and a obstruction ticket were attached to my car when I went out to move it around 10 a.m..
LOL @ people who say others should use “common sense”. Fuck, that always cracks me up.
More, there is plenty of parking space in downtown Dartmouth, especially late in the evening. I he can’t find a spot, that’s his problem.
HKM— you may be right, but it’s still not a “rich man’s privilege”. Most middle income families have a vehicle, or two and can usually afford to have one/two. People are far too greedy however. People will abandon perfectly fine cars for newer ones, and that extends to people who can barely afford one to begin with. That’s a consumerist problem.
If the parking ban bylaw is about my safety then why are tow trucks not deployed at the same time as parking tickets. Can you be THAT snowed? Follow the money and THEN 1+1=2
FTR I know a kid who rents a room in a condo downtown Dartmouth. He had parking in the driveway until the next room was rented. Now it’s first-come-first-serve when it comes to the single-car driveway. Guess what the alternative is? Certainly not “public parking.” Maybe we should be grateful they only send meter maids and not tow trucks but that’ll teach’m idiot Canadians for not listening to their Daddy, right?
“If the parking ban bylaw is about my safety then why are tow trucks not deployed at the same time as parking tickets. Can you be THAT snowed? Follow the money and THEN 1+1=2”
That’s right, Scoob. Keep following your snout and you *may* be onto something. Probably not, but if you’re content thinking you are then go nuts. Then go home.
Really thou bitchers – honest to fuck – it is a by law – by laws are enforced – thats that . Pretty simple, you get caught you pay .. Now that people are aware of it ( and i wonder why if from here your aren’t ) stop parking on the street . Or protest your ticket with a sympathetic counsellor with you in court. But while its not fair , right , or any other reason – while it exists – you get dinged by breaking it – and till it ceases to exist – stop parking on the street Those that work say downtown – and leave at times overnight – and also can see inclimate weather starting – why not bust your ass downtown and get an exemption permit – or ask about starting a petition for have them with your local mla? But until then your risking a ticket – and i for one hate ticket writers i’d rather piss on them .
Kay, it’s not just about your safety. It’s about preventing other people from complaining about icy roads, uncleared roads, piles of ice in their driveways, etc. (read the HRM website FAQs). As well, it’s about saving money, not making money. If people park on the side of the road, then the road can’t get cleaned until the car is moved. That means paying more money for more cleaning shifts which also comes from…YOUR tax dollars. They tried only ticketing when it snowed and that didn’t work to the city’s satisfaction. If they didn’t ticket, or only ticketed when it snowed, the by-law would have no teeth. If there was no by-law people would just park on the street and others would complain because the streets aren’t clean. Naturally there are going to be situations like More’s and your friend’s there where some people are inconvenienced by the by-law. You can’t please all the people all the time.
“it’s about saving money, not making money”
Have you ever seen a snow removal budget in contrast to the parking tickets issued in response to the ban? Correct me if I’m wrong but winter parking ban spells r-e-v-e-n-u-e and plenty of it for city coffers. How’s THAT for “satisfaction” and would anything less do now that they’ve got a half billion dollar headache to through at us? You don’t have to be greedy to run a government this way, just broke.
Well, I’d like to see the numbers. If we always blow through the snow removal budget, then the ban makes sense if it saves money. I’d like to know how much revenue the parking ban actually generates and compare that to the removal budget…just to see how much incentive there really is to have a total ban versus a partial one. I don’t know if I can track down those numbers, although I might try.
Also, if the city is being forced to choose between people complaining about tickets which create revenue and cranky people who have unclean streets…they are probably going to go with the option that generates revenue. If people are going to be angry with you, they might as well be paying you while they’re yelling at you 🙂
kay, have you ever looked at the books? Are you the city comptroller? From my recollection, I can say that the city has gone over budget on snow removal for the past few years. Think of it as a stupid person offset tax. If the city is financially unstable, they need to make more money, or else things that the city fall to the wayside. If you’ve got a better idea for the city to make more money, I’d like to hear it.
More defence of the draconian Halifax parking ban from folks who have clearly never lived anywhere else with snow, lol.
In Ottawa: “”you cannot park on City streets between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. when a snow accumulation of 7 cm or more is forecast by Environment Canada in the Ottawa area. “”
Montreal; alternating street sides to park on
Saint John: only “snow routes are banned…other streets are cleared after a warning is posted online, and with temp signage
St johns : “” During the snow clearing season, the list of streets scheduled for snow removal is updated daily and this information is available after 3 p.m. as follows, etc..”
In the works for these cites is ’email notification’ of impending clearing of your street.
Stop trying to defend the indefensible here…Halifax has the worst parking ban money-grab in Canada for the amount of snow it gets, (it’s the laughing stock of the rest of Canad) and you sound like un-travelled idiots for defending it.
So, again, how is it a cash-grab?
So, here are some numbers that I could find. Not the best referenced, but let’s assume they are reliable.
HRM’s snow removal budget: ~$16.5-19 million
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/arti…
Projected Revenue from the parking ban ~$500,000-900,000 (from ~17,500 tickets)
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorials/11…
So, there are some interesting things here I think. First, the fact that there are 17,500 illegal parking events over the winter despite the parking ban. That’s a lot of non-compliance. I’ll try to find the number of tickets issued in the “no parking during snow year” and see if the per day violation rate is similar. Also, it would be useful to find out how parking ban violations compare to other parking fine-related revenue.
Also, that’s a fair bit of money being generated in fines, however it is only about 5-10% of the total amount spent on snow removal (keep in mind the fines go into general funds and are not specifically earmarked for snow removal). As well, that revenue from fines, which is generally avoidable for most people, can help to offset the cuts to other services when the city has to go over-budget on snow removal.
Frosty, check out the explanation for the alternate street parking scheme on the HRM winter parking ban FAQ’s. Their claim is that it increases the cost of cleaning and since we are going over budget most years, finding solutions that save (tax payer) money seems prudent. Also, comparing Halifax to other cities may not be an apples-apples comparison. For example, in Halifax snow tends to melt and/or freeze fairly quickly after a snowfall whereas in Toronto the snow can stick around in powder form for days which could make cleaning cheaper or more effective.
In principle though, I agree…other cities don’t behave like Halifax and it’s worth assessing if their strategies are economically and practically viable for us. I don’t necessarily support this parking ban or not….I just don’t think people have the right to complain when they get a ticket. Complain about how stupid the by-law is, sure…but you can avoid getting fined by complying with the law….so comply. Fight the by-law through the appropriate channels…protest, call your councillor, sign some petitions, contest the ticket in court and plead your case, etc.
“”Think of it as a stupid person offset tax. “‘
Stupid? People are “stupid” if they think it should be OK to park on a 10 degree rainy night? I guess we’ll agree to disagree on that one…
It’s a cash grab, because it uses no logic or fairness…unlike most other cities in NA. It’s a “blanket ban” which is neither fair, nor has the appearance of being fair…
BTW the snow tax is predicted to raise about $1,000,000 for city coffers this winter…Oooo, fingers crossed! This will surely be invested in new bike lanes and improved transit, right? Increased snow removal capacity?
(snicker)
“”I just don’t think people have the right to complain when they get a ticket. “”
Godamnn right they do! This is how things work in a democracy. Complain complain complain…from the front line staff all the way up. Nothing ever changes in a society that sits back meekly and says “musn’t grumble”. The snow ban enforcement is unfair…tickets when there is NO snow in the forcast are blantantly UNFAIR. I wish Haligonians would take a stand and all fight their tickets (city’s got THAT covered…if you lose, fine goes UP…real fair, eh?)
“”…but you can avoid getting fined by complying with the law….so comply…””
Thank God every person didn’t think like that back when there were “laws” about adultery/homosexuality/unions and so on…
What a weak statement: “just comply…Eeewww *snort*, then you won’t get a ticket…”
Good grief.
What if we weren’t talking about the parking ban?
Would you say that if we were talking about forced segregation? back in the 60’s, would you tell a person of colour if they “don’t want a ticket, get to the back of the bus?”
What a mealy-mouthed right-wing attitude, lol
“”Eeeew…if you can’t do the time don’t do the crime….gulp gulp, burp burp”
So, any ticket/blanket ban is a cash grab? I don’t understand that. While I do agree that parts of it don’t make any lick of sense, I appreciate the fact that the city has taken a hard line. Yes, it’s a stupid person offset tax. Simply due to the fact that it’ll nail people who are stupid enough not to park in an appropriate area during the winter. I can tell you, I have never been forced in 10+ years of driving around in this city to park in the street overnight. I have always parked in a driveway, parking lot, or some other legal manner. If parking has ever been an issue, I take a bus, or cab. Most people don’t get caught by the ban. Only lazy, stupid people do, then obviously, they complain about it because they got caught doing something stupid. It’s like a parking ticket.
You’re pretty selective with your quotes there. I think if you re-read my post you will see that you have misinterpreted my comment.
“I just don’t think people have the right to complain when they get a ticket. Complain about how stupid the by-law is, sure…but you can avoid getting fined by complying with the law….so comply. Fight the by-law through the appropriate channels…protest, call your councillor, sign some petitions, contest the ticket in court and plead your case, etc.”
To be clear: It’s totally appropriate. and I would argue necessary, for people to protest laws they feel are unjust. I guess I just don’t think that complaining about it on LTWWB is an effective form of protest. Sounds more like whining to me. Also, I don’t think the people getting the tickets are doing so out of protest and I suspect most of them will just quietly pay their ticket and grumble to their friends about it and that will be it.
“”I suspect most of them will just quietly pay their ticket and grumble to their friends about it and that will be it.”‘
And I suspect you’re right.
…and many people throughout history have stood by and done the same thing with all manner of bad ‘rules’. Others, have not…
“”I guess I just don’t think that complaining about it on LTWWB is an effective form of protest. Sounds more like whining to me.”‘
Perhaps. Let’s change the name to “Love the way we sound to Miles like we’re whining, even though we think we’re bitching…”
Better?
Its not a cash grab, Dr. Its a *sound effects* CONSPIRACY! *more sound effects*
Yep, the winter parking ban is just another fat-cat conspiracy to keep the white man down! Down with Whitey!
Just in a contrary mood tonight Frosty? 🙂
LTWWSTMLWWETWTWB just doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as LTWWB. I think we should keep the name as it is. Besides, you know how I feel about the status quo.
“”Just in a contrary mood tonight Frosty? 🙂 “”
….a contrary mood is a good mood for me, Miles…it’s when I start agreeing with y’all that you need worry.
😉
Kay, I think you’re onto something (and I also think the world is going to implode with all this kay agreeing): instead of just putting tickets on cars, send the tow trucks out and impound the shitmobiles lining the streets during the ban.
Would cost a fuck of a lot more to get a car out of impound than a measly 50 bucks because you didn’t follow the LAW.
It’s be one hellava laugh too. You could video people coming out to get in their cars on the street in the morning to find *gasp* they’re not there…heh.
and put the videos on youtube under “dumbasses who whine like babies when the world doesn’t cater to their sense of entitlement.”
yeah, then we’d see kay on video bitching about nova scotians who tow cars and impound them.
I could be wrong…but I don’t think Kay was agreeing with you, PK, and saying that tow trucks SHOULD be sent out…only that if it WAS all about ‘safety’ than the city WOULD send them out. (in other words, it AIN’T about ‘safety’…it’s about the easy fine.
Yes, it cost more to retrieve a car from the impound than a ticket. However, we all know that that would be political suicide, and so it ain’t gonna happen.
Of course, if it were about “safety”…
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Don’t worry folks. It’s going to be rescinded. Why? Because Dawn “Big Mouth” Sloane got a ticket.
Damn! If this becomes a scandal I can sublet a SE/DT apartment and run against her in the next municipal election! Last noob did well.
The problem is that if you only ticket people on big snow days, people are just going to never move their car. It costs far less to leave your car where it is parked on the street, even if you get a ticket a few times during the winter, than it would to pay for parking downtown. Then when everyone thinks that way, no one moves their car, even during a storm, and then the plows are screwed, and roads are a mess.
So they fine you when it’s sunny to ensure that you find a new place for your car BEFORE we have a major snowstorm.
And, for all those people who only have cars for those out of the way trips to the beach or the blip, theres Car Share in Halifax now.
Car Share? That sounds interesting. Can it be used for grocery and Christmas shopping?
So PAS, doesn’t that make sense? Instead of ticketing cars wily-nily and never mind the principal behind the ban how about we ticket only when the car actually offends or frustrates the effort? You don’t get just a ticket, you also get towed! VERY motivating!!! In terms of making the streets “safer” and not pissing off every tax-paying driver out there AND to spread the costs around the private sector (the city won’t pay for the tow,YOU will when you get your car out of impound) this has been received by bitches as stupid, idiotic, I’m called a retard for thinking it, for resisting the status-quo “because you Daddy said so” bullshit, I’m told how perfection!=Calgary and all this other hateful bullshit babble…
… oh oh, I know… “fuck you, kay, if you don’t like it then leave before we kick your ass”. Yeah, you don’t need to say it. I know! I get the same feedback when suggesting NEW residential housing developments be PLANNED with bike paths citing the development model Calgary has successfully implemented. It’s right up there when introducing a light rail transit system to run on existing railroad tracks or suggesting stimulous money NOT build or renovate a library but actually go to create green, sustainable jobs like bike path creation and maintenance. Yeah, I know. I’m just askin’ for a fuckin’ beating here but I’m starting to get used to you bitches. Bring it on! At least one of you GETS IT.
http://www.carsharehfx.ca/
You pay a fee for the year, and then hourly when you use the car. Far cheaper and more convienient than owning a car if you only need it for things such as grocery shopping and random adventures.
While towing offending cars during a storm sounds like a good plan, it just means that it’s going to take twice as long for the streets to be cleared. The plow driver has to call a tow truck every 20 minutes, then wait for the truck to come, clear the snow away from the car, and then tow it. Probably hundreds of times a night. It will certainly teah a lesson to the driver, but it’s not an efficient manner of doing so. And can you imagine if you actually had an accident during the storm? You’d never get a tow truck to come get your car out, they’d all be working for the city.
Sigh. On the chance that you’re not a troll:
Kay, it’s not that your ideas are bad. Hell, just the fact that you have ideas in areas of concern is great. And, it obvious that your heart is in the right place. People are shutting you down because you are not as tolerant of them as you expect them to be of you. You throw temper tantrums, you call people names and often you are unkind and you are scornful. It’s too bad, really, because your inability to control your negative responses really deters you from actually making the difference you could truly make. How can you expect others to control themselves in certain situations it you cannot do it yourself? I know you know teaching by example is the best way. So, why do you continue to act like the very ones you are criticizing? It is counterproductive.
That’s so helpful (and a very cool idea)! Thanks, PAS!
PAS, people are stupid, indeed! HOW many cars will be on the roads during the ban when we KNOW it’s going to get towed? I’d guess exactly 1 round of snow removal will be grossly impeded to the point that tow trucks should just be invited to follow the plows but after that… would you leave YOUR car on the street during a snow storm if just yesterday you fished it out of impound? Nobody’s THAT stupid, are they? And if they are, that’s okay because they’ll pay pay pay.
It’s one thing to consciously take on 1 $25 or $30 ticket or 50 or 100 for the year. It’s quite another thing to have to pay to get your car out of impound every time you ignore the snow. Fit that into you equation of efficiency and overall you’ll see fewer tickets and fewer tows as the winter progresses. This is the same principal behind the deterring of criminal behavior… make the penalty more severe and there will be fewer instances of said behavior.
And hey, this parking ban is in place for “your safety” so shouldn’t we do what’s required to make you “safe”??? I dare say a piece of paper stuck to your windshield does little to improve your “safety.”
“You’d never get a tow truck to come get your car out, they’d all be working for the city.”
In some parts of this country we call creating demand “economic stimulus”. It’ll either drive the price and the wait for a tow through the roof (maybe) or you’ll see new trucks enter the towing business (new jobs, new tax, etc). My vote is for the latter considering how many Nova Scotians are unemployed at the moment and how eager the banks are to provide low interest loans. BIG picture PAS… think BIG picture.
Honestly, I wouldn’t really mind if they did tow cars during storms, but you’d get an awful lot more bitching on here after that first storm when people didn’t know the rule had started! I thought I was just going to get a ticket! I don’t watch the news or read the paper! Now my car is towed and I can’t get to work. Add to that the bitches about how school was cancelled because my kids teachers car was towed etc.
What I don’t really understand is if you’re so happy to screw stupid people over for not obeying a rule during a storm, why you’re so against screwing stupid people over for not obeying a rule just because it’s sunny out.
HKM, there you go again!! Who invited this incomplete profile analysis bullshit? You don’t actually believe you “know” me well enough to provide relevant advice… as in, unsolicited advice… do you? Give your head a shake lady! Who CARES what your opinion is of me? Do you really think I come to LTWWB for YOUR advice? PISS OFF for once because I don’t give a fuck what you think. STFU and, for once, comment on the OP and not me. Geeeeezzzzzzzzzz!
Well, there WAS a chance that you weren’t a troll. My mistake. Troll on.
What storm PAS… what storm? Answer that first before you decide people are stupid for parking their cars in front of their homes.
As for notice, I think changes to local traffic bylaw should provide for notification not only through media but through a personal notification letter sent to all licensed drivers in the region. I’m not sure why this doesn’t happen now. The general public need not be concerned with such announcements, only licensed drivers need to know the rules of the road.
no, I’m not a “troll”. No, I come here to form personal relationships with sock puppets. Yeah, whatever. Comment on the OP, HKM. Is that a tough concept for you to grasp or what? Bitch on just not about me.
Kay, you’re the very definition of a Troll. Accept it or change.
I think that’s just what I said, Iehova. READ through the sarcasm, buddy, READ!
Miles-
Try http://www.halifax.ca/procurement/TenderRF… Find the tenders 09-080 through 085. Keep in mind those are just bid prices, not all the companies listed were accepted, but you’ll get an idea of hourly rates for snow removal. Also, what isn’t reflected there, is that each piece of equipment that is on call has a monthly retainer. That is, whether it snows, or not, the company will be paid a certain amount for keeping that piece of equipment standing by in case of callout.
I’d say that given how much is spent on equipment, regardless of snowfall, there’s no way that the parking ban income offsets it. In the majority of cases, at least two to three vehicles would have to be ticketed to make up one hour’s worth of plowing for one plow. That’d be a helluva lot of vehicles being ticketed to make a profit. I don’t think of the ban as a cash grab, the city isn’t coming out ahead with it. It’s cost saving plan to stop plows from having to return to the same street multiple times to clean up around vehicles that shouldn’t be there.
Naw, I’d rather just bitch. That’s why we’re here, after all.
PAS— CarShare is great, problem is though the fleet is tiny and they’re limited to the inner parts of the city for now; I’ve heard of people having issues getting appropriate times as well. I like the program though, and if I didn’t own my car outright, I’d be doing the whole car share thing. I’d say the towing thing is a good idea, but the implementation would be invariably flawed, I think. Tickets for now, are a good idea. I don’t think they go far enough. Make it $200 and people would get out of the way. It would be political suicide though.
Kay— You have a significant misconception that banks are ready to “give low interest loans”. It is incredibly difficult to get a secured small business loan. A beat up $15K tow truck isn’t going to provide enough security unless you’ve got a Beacon score in the 700+ range, and a great relationship with your bank/banker and/or good internal credit score. Even if you go unsecured as a entrepreneurship loan, they’ll laugh you out the front door. Be prepared to give up equity on your home/refinance your mortgage. That’s not economic stimulus. Think the BIG picture kay.
Pretty Kitty: There was a snowfall last night. The plough simply made one pass down the middle of my road. There were NO cars in the way, but they made no attempt to clear to the curb. So explain what the tickets are for again? Look at the big picture instead of preaching about the ‘law’. Laws aren’t infallible just because they’re laws. The ban IS a cash grab from the poorest car owners. The proof happened last night for all to see. Don’t be scared to admit the truth when it’s right in front of you.
So why not put your (lack of) money where your mouth is:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-…
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/parking…
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5057…
Sheesh…
cedricposter: on some of the more narrower streets the plough probably can’t even get through the middle with cars parked there.
And I doubt HRM wants the liability associated with the plough accidently banging up someone’s car. Can you imagine the bitches that would come from people who left their cars on the streets and the plough hit them? People would scream bloody murder!
As for the ‘poorest’ car owners: I’ve said this over and over and over — if you can’t afford all the associated costs of car ownership (INCLUDING RENTING A PARKING SPOT FOR THE WINTER IF YOUR RESIDENCE DOES NOT COME WITH ONE), then you really can’t afford the car in the first place.
Besides, the only places I can figure that wouldn’t have readily available parking (for cheap, at least) are places in the peninsula core area and it’s not cheap to live on the peninsula…so either a) these ‘poorest’ car owners aren’t really all that ‘poor’ if they can afford to live on the peninsula or b) they probably should go find a cheaper place to live if they’re that ‘poor.’
I suppose we could do it the Calgary way. As soon as the white stuff starts falling, stop our cars at the side of the road and leave them. I have never seen a worse city for snow than Calgary. The Base had more snow removal equipment than the city had. The drivers out there didn’t know how to drive in it.
@Pretty Kitty: There are plenty that own and NEED cars but can’t afford to have their municipality ticket them nightly, especially for no reason. Most people can (and are willing to) find some temporary location for the nights with snow (or forecast snow), which is when the tickets would be legit, but it is massively inconvenient to do so every night.
It’s foolish to hand out tickets when there is no snow, and insulting as well if they don’t clear up properly anyway. If you can’t see that nightly ticketing is just a cash grab, you need to educate yourself further (if possible). The fact that the ploughs didn’t clear to the curb last night (with NO cars present) proves that point. Do you understand the point of the ban? It is supposed to prevent parked cars from obstructing the ploughs. Parked cars are no obstruction to the ploughs if they aren’t even in their intended path.
You can invent moronic excuses to forgive the city’s unfairness and greed, or to justify the sub-standard snow removal, but you appear to be really dull when you consistently spout the same nonsense without even trying to grasp the original poster’s ideas. Perhaps sponging off your parents prevents you from understanding the problems of those who have to fend for themselves.
Fever, the big picture is not seen by looking at what the individual has to do to become a shrewd entrepreneur (for a well defined, high-demand market with a solid client). The bigger picture is… instead of taxing (parking tickets look, smell and act like a tax…) the citizen/private sector is offered an income source whether it be a job or a contract. It creates private sector jobs who are also tax payers… in the BIG picture. Instead gov’t creates a tax and weighs it on the public so much so that a bitch like this infiltrates our lives rather than bitching about the neighbour’s new tow truck that spouts diesel fuel at rocket volumes each morning.
Uhm, Bro… snow’s not really the problem in Calgary. It’s the ice and the wind (of the prairie) and the -40C temperatures. Salt doesn’t do a dam thing to ice at those temperatures so it’s not used.
NEED cars? for what?
If you’re that far away from public transit/family/work/blahblah MOVE. If you require a car for your job: GET A NEW ONE. Metro transit hits almost every part of the greater metro area (and even extends out to Tantallon) so you can’t convince me that having a car is an absolute necessity. And, my point (if you can actually pull your head out of your ass, cedricposter, and grasp it) is: if you don’t have a place to park your car it’s likely because you live in a more urban area which means public transit is readily available. If it’s an “emergency” and you need to be somewhere: take a cab. Emergencies generally don’t happen on a regular basis, and you’d likely still save money spending 20 bucks on a cab once in a while when an emergency happens.
Modern conveniences are seemingly taken for granted all the time. People bitch because they OMG NEED TO HAVE: a cellphone/car/ipod/computer/etc…and when it really comes down to it: they’re just conveniences. What did people do before all that shit became mainstream (or even invented)? You make it seem like we’re all going to die if OMG we don’t have a car. And that’s what a need is: something you require to stay alive. Everything else is just a want.
Also, I don’t sponge off my parents. WOW I borrow their car on occasion because I can’t afford my own. That really makes me a sponge! And here I thought not putting myself into debt up to my eyeballs just so I can have the ‘convenience’ of a car when there’s a bus stop right in front of my apartment was the responsible thing to do! Silly, silly, moronic me!
kay they still can’t drive out there but glad you didn’t disagree. Never had a problem driving out there or here or anywhere else for that matter.
kitty, I’ve got at least two friends who require a car to maintain their employment… one is a taxi driver and the other is courier. Yes they both find having cars convenient but no, neither would have a job if they didn’t have a car.
Bro… Allen Berg and friends resent that statement. Far worse driving habits are practiced in coastal cities. Ever wonder why? I think the red necks drive their big trucks pretty well compared to some.
Your friends don’t HAVE to be a taxi driver or courier. They won’t DIE if they’re not a taxi driver or courier. They could do a plethora of other things, including panhandling to make money to feed themselves.
I know my example is extreme and I analyze the shit out of everything, and i know your friends have perfectly valid reasons for having cars — my example is intended to illustrate the fact that at least 95% of car owners in HRM own cars based on convenience rather than pure need. And further: like I’ve said — if you can’t afford to park it, you can’t afford the car. Affording a car is more than just buying it and registering it: it’s about paying for ALL associated costs, including a place to put it when it’s not in use.
just to pick apart the first few words of the first sentence on the bitch – the disgusting cash grab . Now if you didn’t park on the street – there would be no cash to grab . Thats what i think – don’t park don’t pay the ticket you won’t get . Seems pretty simple way of not giving them any cash to grab
The way you’re going on about using MT (relying on state provided services and facilities) sounds very very COMMUNIST, kitty. Get your head around “freedom” as if it’s a good thing in Canada and then let’s talk parking. Don’t you know having your own car promotes an INDEPENDENT lifestyle? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t.
BTW kitty, you’re saying you’d prefer to live in a world where there are no taxi cab alternatives to get you home after the bus blows by you. You’d prefer a world of 4-day-delivery from Canada Post? What do you have against couriers? (job offers come that way, you know?) And what about the blessed pizza delivery driver? Should they give up on the whole car thing and hop on the bus with your pizza? Don’t you think about this stuff before you spew or is the communist in you too strong? THINK about what freedom from the state and NOT relying on the state affords you… and your government.
oh yeah…
construction workers with all their tools… on the bus
animal rescue… taking the bus
flower delivery guy picking up inventory… on the bus
having a labour pains at 4 in the morning? Take your spouse with you… on the bus. Good idea!
You know MSI does NOT cover the cost of ambulatory care? Right?
Come on kitty! I know you’re young but you can’t be this thick… can you be?
Kay, don’t take 5 comments to say one thing. Really, pulling the Communist term out?! You do know that we live in a socialist (i.e.: left leaning) country, right?
Of course we need to have vehicles to use most modern conveniences and services. I think PK has a point though. Most people within the city do not “require” a car. Most people can get back and forth using transit, and then for anything that would require a vehicle either Car Share or taxi. Taxis are expensive yes, but if you live in the city you’re less than 15 minutes from a grocery store. Budget an extra 10 bucks to get home. Take your head out of your ass for once and take your own advice. Sometimes new ideas are good!
Sure Fever… I’ll get right on that.
communist.
Riiiiighttt. Communist. With my support of the market and all, along with my profession. Wow.
I guess when you’re a “doctor” you’re used to telling people what they should and shouldn’t do.
Nobody has mentioned how practical it is to have a car and why so many view independent mobility a necessity. I wonder how many here do the grocery shopping for their families?
How many trips on a bus, with no trunk and NO helping hands, would it take to keep feeding a family of four or five? Do we grocery shop 7 days a week now? This is an favourable use of time? Yes, let’s add up the extra time required to do all the waiting and all the walking.
I wonder how many here would like to, on a whim, drive to CB for the weekend or at least have the option of doing so?
How many here have old parents or grandparents who just might call you instead of forking out hundreds of dollars for an ambulance to take them to the hospital?
You have your reasons for owning or not owning a car. Personally, I like the increased independence and severely increased options available to enrich my life by having one.
People in Europe often shop 7 days a week for groceries, if I had the opportunity, I would. It leads to me being able to buy fresher foods, and it reduces the need for unhealthy processed and packaged frozen, ready to eat meals. The big grocery store is a North American invention. I can tell you right now, at least 80% of the population that lives within Halifax/Dartmouth proper, lives within a 10 KM radius of a grocery store. That’s a 10 or 15 dollar cab ride, and I can honestly say that’s reachable within anybody’s budget. If it’s a problem, I’d gladly sit anyone down and go through how to budget for such an occurrence. If that makes me arrogant, so be it. Secondly, I’d love to see the stats involving a family of 4 or 5 actually listing transit as their main source of transportation. I’d say the stats would not be in your favour kay.
Independent mobility is not a right. Freedom of movement is, and the government allows for that by providing public transit, thereby allowing for people to move from point A to point B in a reasonable fashion. This satiates the necessity. I’m sorry if you feel otherwise. Independent mobility is a privilege. That means one has to pay for it and one needs to assume the costs of such a luxury. That is why we buy cars and the government does it’s best to not subsidize car purchases. A car is a luxury. I cannot emphasize this more than anything else. For those who do not have a vehicle, there are alternatives like Car Share, taxis, transit, getting a ride from a friend. Sometimes that means sacrifices, and yes revolving your day around someone’s schedule.
To the other points, well, if you have to take your elderly grandparents to hospital and it’s such a rush that they need to get the hospital that quickly, they should travel by ambulance. It’s significantly safer and could save their life, regardless of the cost. They’re not going to take your house for an ambulance bill.
By the way, Dr. Fever, I didn’t say that it was a rich man’s privilege. I said it was a richer man’s privilege (richer than the working poor). It wasn’t always so expensive. When I got my license it cost $15 (early 80s). There were not the costly fees there are today. My insurance was around $150 for everything but collision. Gas used to be much cheaper. Considering minimum wage was around $5 per hour at the time, people are paying much more to just get started, never mind to maintain.
As well, Metro only covers a small portion of Nova Scotia. There are a lot people who live in rural areas who cannot really afford a car, but have no choice but to try to run one as most of the little bit work they can find is in the fields or woods. My sister and family half starved last year because their car died and they couldn’t get to the jobs that kept them going. I found them a under $500 car which they have been using ever since. As much as they may like heat in the winter, if it comes down to gas for the car or oil for their house, they will put gas in the car, because their foremost concern is food. This is not unusual. The rural communities have all but died in many ways. Many people live all year on seasonal work and a portion of that small income must go into transportation. Maybe they should bring back the horse and buggy?
As well, although it really sucks to get a ticket, the bottom line is that we know the rules, so pay the damn ticket and do the work to change the laws. (Although I think that the ‘punishment’ (fine) should be income based.)
Uhm, Fever, my whole position rests on the idea that it is impractical to rely solely on transit especially when considering the mobility needs of multi-person families or when considering your RIGHT to be/do/go wherever and how ever you want. I don’t want to live in a country where the government tells me how I MUST travel to get anywhere! Why do you?
You mention Europe but let’s stick to apples and apples, shall we? In a single day of driving there I can pass through 5 countries and a population that makes the US seems small… this is a much different kettle of fish when determining how practical transit is.
Nobody said independent mobility was a “right” except maybe Mr Ford who had the wherewithal to create such an invention…. where are you going with this crap? It’s not up to you to place limits on my options or to dictate my lifestyle to me; not you and not government! Who are you, exactly, to withhold the value of invention/technology from anybody and why should it be the government’s prerogative to deny such a thing? Again, government is NOT Daddy for adults!
But really, what you’re saying is that if you were born on the back of a bus that’s quite all right with you as long as the communists and control freaks get their way here in Canada. …That your first date should be spent on a bus. That your baby comes home from hospital by bus and that same baby, while sick as a dog, can ride the bus back to the hospital too or just wait until it’s their turn for ride share. Or maybe you think people have no right to have kids if they can’t afford ambulatory care and cab fair every time they leave they see a need to take the babe to emerg. And when was the last time you sat next for four snot-nosed toddlers on the bus and bitched about it here? You’re off your rocker to CONDEMN people to using transit all the time.
And maybe you’re a-okay with the idea that you’ll not get to your dying mother’s bedside until MT is good and ready to take you there OR if you didn’t run out of paycheque and can’t afford a cab ride… in your world you can’t even call a friend to help get you there! Oh, and what if you’ve missed the last bus… the nerve of your mother dying at that time of night… and what if 2 hours goes by and the cab still hasn’t come (ref MANY cab bitches)
I’m not sure where you come from, Fever, but here in Canada I have the RIGHT to opt for a better life (and a minivan for all those snot faced kids) and I’ll not be told my sense of independence and freedom is not a dire necessity worth fighting for…. example: Tell people how unnecessary cell phones are then ask your government to take away such a frivolous technology replacing the public’s “need” to place a phone call onto the back of public pay phone service and see how many heads turn. Face it, nobody NEEDS to have a phone on them while in transit. We know because we operated for eons without wireless technologies. So, please pull the blinders off! This is the “land of opportunity” BECAUSE of our sense of freedom and adventure are offered choices in the “land of the free.”
Maybe mass transit for everyone, everywhere 100% of the time fits into a communist’s idea of human utopia but this level of control is undesirable where growth and freedom are concerned IMO
Absolutely, HKM, the working poor are the real people hindered by the current state of affairs. They just get further and further behind. Even further to your point involving the costs, costs have only increased significantly since I started driving a little over 10 years ago. I’ve been luck to maintain the vehicle that I got back then till this day, and I’ve been better off for it. My point is though, as a society, we take something like a car for granted. Sure, it is fully integrated in our society to the point where to some like kay or perhaps your sister it’s a requirement, but that still does not change the fact that it’s a luxury. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand the need for it especially in the country, in fact I had family that lived in the middle of nowhere in Manitoba, where it was neigh impossible in the middle of winter to get to the nearest town if it weren’t for the neighbour’s truck. I’m really not going to argue that any farther. I just think in this day in age, if you own a vehicle, especially in the city, one needs to consider the costs and requirements of such a luxury. Find a house or an apartment with parking if you have a car. There’s a myriad of apartment complexes that are budget priced that have parking, as well as other ideas like flats, that have a private driveway. Tickets are a fact of life if you do not comply with the written word of the law if you own a vehicle. You have every right to dispute it, if you feel it’s wrong, but it still doesn’t change the fact that you got one.
Kay— the government does not tell you that you have to travel anywhere by transit. In fact they support your choice to purchase to own a car by reducing transit subsidies (much to the detriment of the environment) and increasing funding for road repair. At no point have I mentioned that the government controls your movement, nor should they. That’s your tired old tirade, not mine. Sadly, kay, if the likelihood is that you need to rush to your mother’s deathbed and you’re broke,every other option has been exhausted, you most likely don’t have a car. As sad as it is, that situation fits your world view. The cab company has the freedom to deny service, your friend has the right to deny a drive, the bus drivers have the right to go home after work and not have to run 24 hours a day. Want to try again, without all of the exaggerated situations? Besides, where do you get this “land of the free” idea? Last time I checked Canada wasn’t founded as a country to be the “land of the free”, rather on fair and good governance. The “land of the free” is an American ideal, not a Canadian one.
As an aside, Ford did not invent the car. He made it possible mass produce cars. You’d be surprised to learn that a German by the name Karl Benz created the first petroleum powered vehicle in the form of a motorcycle, thereby leading to the “car revolution”. So Europe, in my view, is very much valid in the whole argument.
That’s exactly what I meant, Dr. F. Most people don’t REQUIRE a car and can get by on transit, esp those who live in the peninsula, who are likely the ones bitching about not being able to park on the street. But with the way some people are going on, not having a car is OMG THE END OF THE WORLD.
Do you access healthcare services, Kay? Do you, by chance use a health card to access these services? Does your kid go to public school? Do you plan on sending your kid to university (which is funded more than half by the gov’t)?
Because if you use any of those services (as well as any other social service provided for by the state — including the roads you use to drive your car on) then you should also call YOURSELF a communist, given your fucked up logic.
Also weedhog ftw: don’t park on the street and you won’t have to pay the “cash grabbing” fines….that’s been my point all along. Find another place to park and if you can’t afford it then you can’t truly afford the car you have. I really don’t think I’m the thick one if you anti-ban fucktards (kay, cedric what’s his face, etc…) can’t grasp that concept.
For you to decide for the masses who “should” have a car and who should not makes me want to crawl right through my internet and shake some sense into you.
To think… (your words… speaking for everybody… very smart)… “most people” should find that sense of freedom and autonomy from the state of passive importance or of none at all is very concerning. Obviously, “most” Canadian families prefer to own a car or 2. Why should the government be privileged to levy a “tax on your autonomy”? Are we being excessive and is that what gov’t and bylaw penalties are for? To control your lifestyle and limit your choices? We need this Daddy for adults bullshit?
Why shouldn’t every poor schmuck have control over their means from A to B without you or the government penalizing or dictating one choice or another? Applying a liberal tax ($30/day is pretty fucking liberal!) to have the option restrains your freedom via pocketbook and also imposes on our culture (hence this bitch and the 4000 others like it)… all sanctioned by you! You fucking bitch!
On behalf of the workin’ class joe who needs to drive himself and his tools to Tantallon every day for 3 months before he’s working here in town again… Thanks! Thanks a lot! We sure needed gov’t to straighten us out on who should drive and who should stay home (quit their jobs and collect unemployment, welfare, mommy & daddy’s crumbs or the almighty student loan)… just for the winter though. pffft Now you’re going to tell us the guy “should” get an in-town job. I’d stand behind him when he told you to go fuck yourself for imposing on more than just his freedom of mobility…. control freak!!!
FTR, I don’t understand why HRM residents can’t chose one side to park on or the other and leave the goddamn gov’t out of their pocketbook while still providing already-taxed-you-for-the-road “public” parking in response to problems with snow removal. This isn’t why I pay some of the most exorbitant income and regional taxes in the WORLD!
kitty… $30/day!!! and nary a private parking spot to be seen within a mile! How many hours do YOU have to work to make that many after-tax dollars?… just to park your car closer than a-bus-ride-home every winter night? Don’tchya like “working for the man”? Fun, right? Your sanctimonious reason for living, I’m sure. Yeah, well, Fuck THAT! Pleasing the man and feeding him cash is not high on my list reasons for living but buying a cool new car and fucking off to Digby for the weekend whenever I want might be.
Don’t tread on me. Don’t tell me what to do. Don’t spank me with fines. Provide us reasonable options on public land! THAT’s what we pay gov’t for.
Shut up, kay.
Suck it up, buttercup.
Get over me, sheep.
“don’t tread on me” yet another American standard. We live in Canada. I honestly think you live in the wrong country, because your ideals certainly do not fit the ideas of the masses, otherwise we’d be living in Utopian bliss courtesy of kay.
If we don’t tax and create fines, how shall the government provide “reasonable options on public land”? Where would the money come from?
You guys seriously need to go outside.
Fever, I’m not saying do away with taxes (and I’m FAR from American). I’m saying do away with the teach-’em-a-good-lesson parking tickets which smells like a tax, acts like a tax, blah blah blah (your words.) This policy has even made discriminating against avg joe and his trade a-okay (ask kitty) yet his is a family in pursuit of autonomy and freedom, not dependence. We just shouldn’t have to worry about getting smacked by our gov’t for NO GOOD REASON…. go down the list for best reasons for government and imagine what the hell $30 parking tickets doled out while the idiot-citizens sleep during a snowless winter goes to serve and I’ll show you a bunch of fat and happy politicians “making a difference”.
Your ideals are very American. Go live there. In Canada, the government has a say in many of our daily lives, through any number of devices and that’s fine by any number of people. I can say that, because there hasn’t been any revolt… Besides, with all this proletariat talk, you’re sounding more and more like communist yourself.
A city needs to look for ways to recoup rising costs. One $50 ticket will not put the working man out of business or into the poorhouse. Again, if you have any sort of vehicle, you need to be responsible for all costs associated with that ticket.
You’re not the voice of the people, nor are you going to save us from ourselves. You are one of the most arrogant people I’ve ever met.
One $50.00 ticket won’t put someone into the poor house. Finding parking, and paying upwards of $100.00 a month for it (IF you can find it), just may make an affordable car, not so affordable. Halifax is trying to encourage people to live in the downtown core, but this ban is a real negative to some people considering it.
Sorry Dr. Fever, been busy.
I know there is parking in the downtown Dartmouth area. problem is its about 2 blocks down the street from this bar. That area of lower Portland street isn’t the best place to be walking alone at 2:30 in the morning…which is why the night shift bartender(s) perfer to park on the street by the bar…I know fuckin’ really stupid worring about their safety…much more important to keep the roads clear, even without a snowflake in sight, much of the time! ! !
If the city had said they’re introducing a winter parking ban to combat rising costs I think a revolt would shortly ensue having targeted the drivers of this city to subsidize… what? But that’s not what they say. It’s for your “safety”. The fact that we can see through this crock of crap is the reason for all the bitching. Canadians are uncomfortable swallowing bullshit $50 or $30 at a time.
Fever, you’ve never met me, you’ve only ever “met” the arrogant bitch, kay. How you can twist my words about autonomy from the state into something reflective of communist thinking… wow, that’s quite a leap! I don’t feel quite so liberal giving Canadians “the right to bare arms” and of course all the good healthcare and HIGH taxes keeps me an honest Canadian wanting the same of our government. I suppose, however, there are a number of passive Canadians who enjoy getting smacked by the government without a good reason. They can bend over while I bitch.
Sarey, Halifax is looking for rich people to live downtown. Secondly, most of the living complexes in the downtown core include some form of parking. If you can’t afford the parking space along with the living arrangements, then you can’t live there. Why is this such a difficult thing to understand?
More— I live in downtown Dartmouth, just off Ochterloney. I can say that I know the area. Being afraid of one of the most police patrolled areas of HRM at 2 am is like being afraid of your own shadow. Besides, if it’s the bar I’m thinking of, there’s parking behind it and near it, it’s definitely not 2 blocks away. Secondly, the Portland/Alderney area is a major thoroughfare. It’s extremely important to keep it clear.
Kay— you often twist everyone else’s words around, so I’m just following your fine example. Seriously, this whole “communist” thing? Get over it. You don’t know what “communism” is beyond what you’ve heard in American literature. Go do some more reading and come back to me when 1) it’s relevant to the argument and 2) you know what you’re talking about.
I’ve heard horror stories about the area including at least two shootings on, get this, Ochterloney and the other by the TH’s on Portland only two or three blocks away. Neither shooting happened in the day time. Would you allow your little girlfriend or your daughter to work at that bar or stroll down that stretch at 2AM? Tell ya what, I’ll go buddy up with Karl Marx some more if you’ll step outside and notice your neighbourhood.
FTR, that kid I was talking about earlier signed a 2-year lease in those condo’s on wentworth. It came with street parking. One year into the lease the street parking got real far away and/or real expensive… but I guess he’s just doing his part listening to his daddy like a good Canadian does.
The parking ban can be difficult when people have company visiting from away. I used to rent a space at the garage around the corner, in the winter, when I rented a south end apartment years ago. When I bought, just down the street, you can bet I made sure there was lots of parking at my house. Sometimes my neighbours, who either have no or little parking available (just room for one car) will ask me if their visitors can park overnight in my spot. As long as they are out before I have to leave in the morning, I have no problem with that and always share. So, if you have someone visiting overnight, don’t be afraid to ask your neighbour. Not all rich folks are selfish assholes. Some of us remember when we had nothing (I remember how empty the fridge was two days before dad got his pay). You just have to ask! At least it solves one issue that nobody really talks about with the winter parking ban.
Kay— I often do go out in my neighbourhood. I don’t see a problem, and my fiancee often goes out by herself. So go buddy up.