There was lots of discussion at council Tuesday night about the overnight parking ban. I don’t really have much to say about it, other than reporting what happened.
First, let’s hear what Linda Mosher has to say about it:
: If you buy a car, don’t you think you’d secure a parking spot?
But, that aside, the real news is that starting today, the Bloomfield Centre parking lot is now available for overnight parking. It’s going to cost you in the $15- $20 range; call Claudette Levy at 490-4629 to buy a permit.
The overnight parking is being managed by the Bloomfield people, and it’s on a trial basis to see if it works. If it does, it might be expanded to other city-controlled parking lots next winter.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2009.
This is in regards to Mosher’s comments.
My apartment building has one driveway shared between four units, so while I technically have a space, it’s a musical chairs like game trying to get my vehicle off the street at night.
I acquired my car before the ban and I live in a residential neighbourhood that really doesn’t offer many alternatives when it comes to parking spots. The Bloomfield Centre really doesn’t present itself as an adequate option to me.
The ban doesn’t bother me too much because I can make do, what bothers me is the lack of ice-free sidewalks and roads. Streets like Bliss, Binney, Edward and Vernon and even parts of Jubilee Road are rarely, if ever salted or adequately plowed. Robie, along with the streets named above, is absolutely hellish for pedestrians.
I’d like to believe that the quarter of a million dollars they’re collecting from the parking fines is going towards something useful, but who knows.
The real issue is that HRM is using the ban as a cash cow. A quarter of a million dollars in ticket revenue to date! That is outrageous, especially since most of those tickets were issued on nights when there was no snow-clearing activity underway. And there are 2 more months to go. Cripes!
HRM makes the lame excuse that since the ban was instituted by the traffic authority, a provincial appointee, they can do nothing about it. That is pure bullshit. They may not be able to control the traffic authority, but they sure as hell do control the people who write those tickets every night. A simple directive not to issue tickets when there is no snow clearing going on would be the common sense thing to do. To hide behind the provincial govt while raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in dirty money is absolutely shameful.
Two words: Band aid. Good on the people that actually live near the Bloomfield Centre. Shame on the city.
I don’t think it’s so much that the HRM is raking in money from the parking ban fines, I think it’s to offset a very lean snow removal budget, at least a quarter of which was used up before 2009 even arrived.
It just doesn’t seem as if the HRM is using that money effectively with large portions of streets, sidewalks and intersections still remaining icy and dangerous.
The one-man “parking authority”– a guy named Ken Reashor who doesn’t report to anyone– is not enforcing the parking ban at the request of council, but rather on his own initiative. Council has repeatedly implored him to reverse course, to no avail. So it’s a bit of a stretch to say “the city” is doing this to raise money.
The only people issuing tickets at 3AM are HRM Police, and Ken Reashor does not control them. Frank Beazley does, and he works for the Mayor. Make no mistake, while HRM may not have any control over the ban itself, they are the ones telling the cops to write all those tickets.
Tim, Reashor has a whole department under his wing. I received a letter from one of his underlings which kindly informed me that, if they wanted, they could enforce a parking ban all year long, under some provincial law which forbids parking on highways for 24 hours at a time. He also informed me that people living on the peninsula without a dedicated parking spot shouldn’t own a car. This letter was cc:ed to the mayor who, as far as I know, hasn’t taken exception to either of those positions. I think blaming “the city” is perfectly legitimate, given the circumstances. As far as I can see, only three councillors give a damn about the situation. The police certainly aren’t sympathetic, and I note that they target the north end area every good-weather night. Complaints about tickets from the suburbs occur, but not on a daily basis. I wonder why they target the north end so continually?
BTW – has anyone else noticed that the HPD is once again only issuing tickets on good weather%
I just moved here from B.C. at the end of October to follow my husband who is in the military. I am struggling to find work here as a substitute teacher.
The apartment building we live in has no extra parking spaces, so since November I have been parking my car every night along Russell St. as I had seen cars parked there over night with no problem. I also never saw any signs or was given any notification that it was illegal to park there.
From December 12th to January 4th I went back to B.C. to visit with my family over the holidays. During that time I received 4 parking tickets, which along with towing fees is costing me $800. An amount I really cannot afford as I am barely working. I was completely unaware of any winter ban as I do not receive the local paper, I know few people here and they do not have these restrictions where I used to live.
I wrote a letter to the cheif of police and to the city of Halifax begging for some forgivness on this. No luck! I am out $800! A not so nice welcoming into this province after I gave up my friends, family and job so my husband can serve in the military!
I know many people who went trough this — I moved to Halifax because I thought it was a great city to live in. And I still do — with this ONE major exception. Every city in the country figures out how to deal with snow… it is Canada after all. Except Halifax where individuals are meant to make cars disappear in the winter!!! I was also unprepared for the ban when I moved here and learned about it after buying a car — and when my superintendant tried to gouge me a higher rate for parking because I had not taken it at the start of my lease… their way of making a quick grab off those who only want winter parking. I am told by the Parking Authority is that the ban is for safety — so they can clear entirely from curb to curb to help prevent melting and re-freezing. Except I have NEVER in 10 years seen my street cleared from curb to curb. And it can be just as dangerous on some streets to have cars parked on both sides of the street during a summer rain storm. Just introduce alternate side of the street parking — make it limited to those who do not have their own on-site parking. Do SOMETHING to deal with the issue instead of issuing tickets. This is an old city and many many houses on the peninsula do not have driveways. If the suburbs want to ban street parking, fine. But the reality is it is a necessity for any on the peninsula. Thank goodness this is still a city where neighbours help neighbours!! But it is also a city where people come from out of town – I am tired of not being able to have winter visitors as I can’t subject them to the risk of the ban fines.
Why is the parking authority not requred to work with council to find a solution to this city-wide issue??? Every year my councillor raises this and yet there is not even the option of discussion other options. It is ridiculous and out of date and makes us look ridiculously antiquated and short-sighted.