I take issue with parking in this city; more specifically,
parking tickets. I am the type of person
who accumulates tickets over the year and then pays them all at once every
December. Yes, it adds up. Because of my methods I have quickly come to
realize a major issue in our parking enforcement in Hamilton.
I live near St. Joseph’s Hospital in the Corktown area, and
if you have ever parked around there you know very well that you will have a
parking ticket if you are more than five minutes late back to your car. The same goes for the area around McMaster
University and Hospital, as well as around any major educational or medical
centres in Hamilton. I’m not writing to
complain about the city’s efficiency in giving tickets in these areas but,
rather, the absolute bias towards being so absolute in these areas, but the
complete disregard of other relevant areas.
If you are not aware of the Locke St. Area, you should
become so. It is a beautiful street full
of coffee shops, restaurants and high-end shops. I am there between three and five times a
week from one to four hours depending on the day. The reason I am outlining my frequency and
length of time on this street is because I need you to have an understanding of
how much time in a given week my car sits on that street without having a paid
parking pass in my window. I have not
paid for parking on that street since they put meters on it. I have not been
ticketed.
While we are on the topic of streets that never get
ticketed, let’s take a look at Ancaster.
If you are not familiar with Wilson Street, it is another lovely place
to go and eat in a nice restaurant or shop in a very high-end store. It is known for its wealthy inhabitants. I challenge you to get a ticket in Ancaster;
seriously, try it.
My issue here is that our city very diligently fines people
who are trying to go to school or have an appointment that runs longer than
expected at s hospital, among other reasons.
A few blocks away on a street that caters to leisure time, shopping and
dining, there is not an enforcement officer in sight. People who shop on Locke can afford the
tickets; give them to us. It’s not right
to ticket so aggressively in certain areas and completely disregard others.
