Public to have input on potential parking fine increase
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on February 8, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
City council has delayed a decision on raising the penalties for parking fines in the city.
Council voted on Tuesday to refer to the matter to the Feb. 15 Economic Standing Policy Committee so members of the public could have input on the matter.
Councillor Nick Paladino said no public hearing was held on the matter and he supported it being addressed by an SPC.
Deputy mayor Ryan Parker agreed.
After discussions, council decided to move the matter to the Economic SPC even though as city clerk Bonnie Hilford said, parking is under the community safety umbrella. The Community Safety SPC is scheduled to meet Thursday.
Council gave first reading on Jan. 24 to Bylaw 6393, a bylaw to amend Traffic Bylaw 5834.
If parking fines are increased, the penalty would rise from $25 to $50 while maintaining the $15 reduction if the fine is paid within seven days of offense.
The current traffic bylaw has three schedules with fines of $25, $30 and $50. All fines are reduced by the same $15 amount if paid in seven days.
According to a report to council submitted by Traffic Engineering and Planning Manager Ahmed Ali, most infraction sections in the traffic bylaw relate to parking and current fines are the lowest compared to similar municipalities.
Ali’s report says one flat fine will make the application of fines “simple and encourage compliance.”
The report to council says lower parking fines aren’t a meaningful deterrent to infractions while increasing them will result in increased compliance and also an increase in parking revenue without the City implementing a parking rate increase.
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14-13
Too many of these types of moves have come forth from this Council and I want to know where it stemmed from, who is responsible and fire them!
No one considers the impacts to the downtown business core! It is time that people are accountable and if they make these types of bad decisions, then they should be replaced, retired, fired, let go, skidded !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously Ahmed Ali is the City Admin who is ultimately responsible for this foolishness. He is trying to justify his job by bringing more revenue to the city coffers. Its always all about preserving city jobs, not being responsible to the taxpayer.
Time for a witch hunt through City Hall.
If passed this will be one more nail in the coffin for the downtown. Will the $250,000 increase do anything positive for the businesses downtown? I would think quite the opposite. I would also like to know how much the traffic fine income has increased since they did away with the free 2 hour areas around downtown? Take a look at the front of the library on 9th avenue. Usually not a car there now, at least on weekdays anyway.
What is with this council? $50? Wasn’t there a story about the downtown parking not making money a while ago? Could this be a attempt to rectify that? This isn’t Calgary where downtown is full of offices and workers. Downtown is full of businesses trying to entice customers to visit and purchase something. Could you imagine paying to park at Costco, Walmart, or Canadian Tire and then getting a ticket because you stayed too long?