Ambleside resident protests parking fine without restriction sign 

An Ambleside resident is paying a bylaw fine with the “strongest objection possible” because of lack of any information or sign that the bylaw was being enforced.

The resident says there is an extreme lack of parking in the neighbourhood and she asked her partner to park on a nearby street close to her home in Ambleside neighbourhood. She had parked there before and knew the parking wasn’t restricted. When he returned to his car, he found a ticket for parking.

They decided to dispute the ticket. When asked why there were no signs informing people about restricted parking on the street, the district said it did not “wish to pollute the streets with signs”. To make their case, they even submitted a picture of parking restriction signage in North Vancouver to the adjudicator. However, the adjudicator sided with the district.

The resident is now paying the $70 fine but wonders why the district won’t inform people about restrictions on parking.

“We don’t “wish to pollute the street with signs” is an unacceptable reason for not informing the public. With the increase of visitors to this area, it is totally unreasonable to expect any visitors to know such bylaws are in effect without posted signage,” the resident says.

What is even more infuriating, she says, is that a clause in the bylaw states that an “appropriate traffic control device” should be in place where parking is restricted.

“The actual Bylaw Act states that a Bylaw is only enforceable when signage exists to inform the public of the existence of the restriction (Section 6.3.1 a). How is it that the ticket was issued anyway with the relevant Municipality staff acting with peremptory dismissal of this fact — ignorance or arrogance?”

Even though the citizen is paying the fine, she hopes the district would give serious consideration to how it could put up relevant street signage so people would know they are in fact breaking the law.

“The lack of proper signage to inform the ever-increasing traffic of unsuspecting members of the public — this is unfair. It is and would be totally unreasonable for the District to expect any visitor and residents who may be forced to seek parking beyond their usual residential area to abide by regulations that are not posted.”