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by : MICHAEL BRIGADE

PARKING
PROBLEMS?

ecently, | have been
looking at the city
bylaws in Prince
George specifically
those of the city’s
parking ordinances. You see,
those who operate the city
snow removal website make
a big deal about “illegally
parked” vehicles being a
major hindrance to city snow
removal. Being the giant
nerd that | am, though, | took
a look at what constituted an
“illegally parked” vehicle. The
actual language of the bylaw
states that any vehicle parked
on a city street between 8am
and 6pm is illegally parked
and subject to a fine from
October through to the end
of April. Seriously. If you
aren't parked in a driveway or
parking lot between 8am and
6pm, you are subject to a $50
fine.

Daytime Winter Parking
Prohibition BL7861

No person shall park a
vehicle or permit a vehicle to
remain parked on a highway*
abutting a parcel located in the
following zones: AG, AF, AR,
RS, RT, RM or Z9 of the City of
Prince George Zoning Bylaw
No.7850, 2007, between the
hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
the same day, from October
15 to April 15 *”Highway” in
this sense means any publicly
accessible road.

The bylaw as written is
unenforceable, its broadness
ensures that its governance is
ripe for abuse and it is generally
unfair to Prince George drivers.
The marked zones _ outlined
within the bylaw are literally
every residential area of Prince
George, plus crown lands and
the controversial Hill Avenue
development.

Of particular concern are
the lower-income regions of
town, where many converted

duplexes and group _iivine
arrangements have at least four
tenants. often more. For various

socioeconomic reasons, there
is simply not enough parking fol
the lower income residents of
Prince George, and so they are
unduly fined for snow removal
Yet, if you take a quick look a
the poorer areas of town, it’s
plainly evident that these areas

are most neglected by snow

removal. Unlike the scrupulously
maintained McMansion suburbs
growing on the outskirts of Prince
George, the city lets snow and
ice build up to a point where
roads are basically impassible in
the lower-income parts of town
before performing a perfunctory
scrape.

The lack of snow removal in
low-income areas is yet another
situation where the municipa
government punishes the poo!
for their poverty. The shamefu
negligence of city sidewalks
cash-grab transit increases anc
utter disregard for the needs anc
safety of the cycling community
are all symptoms of a municipa
government that equates income
with worth as a human being. The
city administration only seems to
care about snow removal when it
comes time to fine the poor anc
point fingers at the hamstrung
public works department for lack
of maintenance.

The city spends so much
time, energy and money publicly
shooting themselves in the foot
just to further half-considered
plots that one wonders if the
negligence and corruption in our
city will result in the municipality
having to shoot stray dogs prio!
to the opening of the Canada
Games next year?

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