Tag Archives: parking

Tickets for illegally parking in accessible spaces up again in 2015

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The number of tickets issued in Ottawa for illegally parking in a space reserved for the physically disabled hit a six-year high in 2015.

According to City of Ottawa parking data obtained through an access to information request, a total of 2,506 tickets were issued last year for the infraction, up 13 per cent from 2,208 tickets in 2014.

Troy Leeson leads the City of Ottawa’s parking enforcement program. He said the increase is the result of improved enforcement, thanks in large part to the city’s deputization program. The program trains property owners to enforce parking by-laws on their property, without having to resort to city officials.

“One of the biggest challenges with a person who parks (illegally) in disabled parking is time. They know it’s a big ticket, and they’re going to try to be in and out of their location as quickly as they can,” said Leeson. “But as more places take control of their own property, they have somebody on site and they’re able to address their parking issues much quicker.”

Source: City of Ottawa.
Most of the top 10 hotspots in 2015 were shopping centres with large parking lots, routinely patrolled by deputized officers. The most ticketed location was the Walmart Supercentre at the Ottawa Train Yards, where 133 tickets were issued. Close behind was the College Square Loblaws, with 130 tickets.

More tickets? More money in city coffers

Only people with certain health conditions can apply for an accessible parking permit. Accessible parking spaces are wider than conventional spaces, allowing easier access to and from the vehicle. They are also normally located as close as possible to building entrances.

An accessible parking permit sits on the dashboard of a car parked at the Walmart Train Yards Supercentre in Ottawa.

An accessible parking permit sits on the dashboard of a car parked at the Walmart Supercentre at the Ottawa Train Yards on Oct. 22, 2016. In 2015, 133 people received tickets there for illegally parking in a space reserved for the physically disabled — more than anywhere else in Ottawa that year. CARLETON UNIVERSITY/Marc-André Cossette

Anyone parked illegally in those spaces runs the risk of a $450 fine: the highest of all parking-related fines regulated by the city. If paid voluntarily within 15 days, the fine can be reduced to $350.



(Click the note above to read the entire City of Ottawa parking by-law.)

 
Either way, more tickets means more money in city coffers. Last year alone, parking officers issued $816,938 in fines for this infraction, but Leeson insists the focus is on compliance.

“Don’t get me wrong: the dollars are certainly a by-product of the program and the city will happily accept those dollars, but at the end of the day,” he said, “it’s about making people aware of the by-law and ensuring they leave the spaces available for those who need them.”

Enforcement only part of the solution

James Hicks lives in Ottawa, walks with a cane, and knows first-hand the frustration of finding someone parked illegally in an accessible parking space.

“It drives me crazy,” he said. “I’ll knock on their window and say, ‘You know, you do realize that if you’re here, someone else can’t park here who needs to, right? Think about it.’ ”

Hicks is the national co-ordinator of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, an organization working to ensure equal access for people with a disability across Canada. He welcomes the city’s efforts to crack down on illegal parking, but says ticketing alone won’t solve the issue.

“Most of the people that I know who get tickets tend to be repeat offenders,” he said, adding that more must be done to raise awareness about the importance of accessible parking.

“I do think that a campaign around what those spots are, indicating what the implications are for people if you park (illegally) in those spots — that that maybe will help give more awareness,” he said.

In the meantime, Troy Leeson has a simple message for anyone thinking about parking illegally: “Leave the spots to those who need them.”

Ottawa: About 2,000 wrong parking tickets issued in two years

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If you feel you’ve been a constant victim of  wrong parking tickets, you’re not alone. About 2,000 people have complained about the same issue; according to the data of complaints received by the city of Ottawa in the last two years.

Aaron King is one of those victims. He was wrongly ticketed three times in space of fewer than two years. But by paying attention to the details on the tickets, he saved $55 by complaining to the city of Ottawa and getting the tickets waived.

In one of the incidents, he parked in front of his parents’ house in Orleans on Sunday afternoon. The sign there says no parking Sundays between 8:30 and 1:30 pm so he made sure that he parked after that time. However, he was surprised to find that he was ticketed just three minutes after parking.

“Generally, it was just very frustrating because I knew they were not valid, and then I had to find time in my busy week to go get them waived because of the negligence of the parking officers,” King said.

Most complaints about wrong parking tickets came from wards close to downtown. The top five wards are Somerset, Rideau-Vanier, Capital, Kitchissipi and College. The city of Ottawa says there are no other particular reasons behind except that those wards have more volume of traffic due to a big number of businesses and offices.

Source: City of Ottawa Open Data.

In another case, Aaron was driving his handicapped friend who had a parking permit for handicaps. He was ticketed for exceeding allowed time in a one hour zone downtown despite a handicap permit that allows parking whenever for four hours. Again, he was able to have his ticket waived after complaining to the city of Ottawa.

Very few people go to court to contest parking tickets because they are usually a small amount of money. Defence lawyer John Allan says he hasn’t received anyone seeking legal services related to parking tickets in about 1o years of his career.

The city of Ottawa recognizes the problem of wrong tickets and says usually officers indicate wrong infraction, wrong plate number or a wrong street. There are also rare cases where people complain because someone got a ticket and put it one someone else’s car.

However, the city of Ottawa doesn’t see this as a big problem and there are no special measures being considered to address the issue.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2756952-Parking-Infractions-and-Associated-Fines-City-of/annotations/282897.html
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2756952-Parking-Infractions-and-Associated-Fines-City-of/annotations/282897.html

Troy Leeson, deputy chief of bylaw services in charge pf parking at the city of Ottawa says  wrong tickets issues in two years are relatively few compared to an overall number of about 1.2 million tickets issued in the same period. He advises people to approach the city whenever there they have good explanations to why they shouldn’t be ticketed.

“It’s a process that can weed out the ticket of an error was made, at the same time it gives an opportunity to somebody to exercise their rights to contest the charge they don’t agree with,” Troy said.