Letter: Parking enforcement killing Queen Street

Re: Looking back at the history of Queen Street bylaws [In My Opinion, May 3, 2016]

Tom Jakobek is right: parking enforcement in the Beach is ridiculous. How did I manage to get a yellow tag while parked beside a Green P ticket dispenser?

On Mother’s Day I took my family down to the Green Eggplant for a nice dinner and ended up parking two blocks west of the restaurant on Queen close to Waverley Road. I dutifully fed $4 into the machine right beside our minivan.

Upon our return, there was a tag adorning our windshield in the amount of $60 written 30 minutes after we left the van.

The infraction? “Stand Vehicle – Signed Highway During Prohibited (Times/Days).”

Huh? Trying to decipher the broken English, it seemed to suggest Sunday evening is not a good time to park. So why did the Green P machine provide me with a receipt?

The only thing I can think of is the van was parked partly past the telephone pole, so perhaps we had nosed into a ‘No Parking’ area, although there were no pavement markings.

So why was the machine installed at the very end of the parking zone?

Overzealous parking enforcement officers appear to delight in ruining even quiet Sunday evenings. It’s a miracle any businesses survive on Queen St. at all.

Mark Toljagic

(former Waverley Rd. resident)