TRY. LORMOTIV AirCare - Gov, Certified #50222
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TUNE-UP SPECIALISTS

TUNE-UPS - FUEL SYSTEMS - ELECTRICAL TALKING

oO _ < or 4 we a YELLOW P- GES
Perilous parkin ATLON | voce Gece |
" “ 176 PEMBERTON AVE. N.VAN, 985-7455 (rigisis .

IT’S a dirty job but
somebody has to do it.
Enforce parking bylaws,
that is.

A pet peeve for many
readers would seem to be
the parking enforcement
officers that motor about in
their duel-controlled
Suzukis smearing chalk on
the tires of parked cars,
apparently with nothing bet-
ter to do. Others are miffed
about the ticket they found
in their window after park-
ing “for less than a minute”
in a “no parking zone.”

A few others have voiced
a more legitimate concern,
noting that the high motor
vehicle collision rates in
areas such as Third Street
and Mahon Avenue in Norih
Vancouver can be attributed
not to speed, as photo-radar
salesmen would have us
believe, but to low visibility
due to cars and trucks
parked too close to said
intersection.

{ recently spoke with
Barbara Hamilton, the
Parking Enforcement
Supervisor for the City of
North Vancouver, and ran a
series of questions by her in
an effort to get the skinny
on Parking Enforcement
Officers (which is their only
job, so dense is the North
Van population).

As for the high collision
rate at intersections being
attributed to improperly
parked cars, Hamilton says,
“We are diligent in enforce-
ment of all infractions as we
come across them near any
intersection.” After a few
drive-bys of such intersec-
tions I did notice the
absence of illegatly parked
vehicles.

She also states that safe-

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‘Ministry of
Highways

BCAA

ty isa Parking Enforcement
Officers first priority, but
then went on to note that
the most frequently written
tickets are for vehicles over-
parked Cover a time dimin
and “contrary to sign
(includes bus zones}.”

This statement does lend
some credence to the “chaik
happy” peeve expressed by
some readers but it should
be noted that illegal parking
causes confusion and con-
gestion in the streets, which
leads to crashes often
enough. Besides, which part
of NO parking or NO stop-
ping is unclear?

Curiously, Hamilton also
stated that no area is
ignored nor patrolled Jess
frequently yet Enforcement
Officer #4 told me that he
often turns a blind eye to
cars parked illegally on the
gravel near Semisch Avenuc
and Third Street in North
Van because street parking
is unavailable in that area.

Furthermore, | personally
parked my non-registered-
with-the-city vehicle for a
full year on 18th Street, a
two-hour zone, before find-
ing a single ticket. Another
unregistered fellow I know
has parked on that same
street for five years.

“The city is a fairly con-
cenirated commercial use
corridor, Hamilton offered.
“The business districts are
our main voacern with fre-

quent residential patrols.”

And. in all fairness,
there are onty six Parking
Enforcement Officers
waployed fer the entire
city, so some illegally
parked cars are bound to
slip through the net (not
near a Starbucks, noted one
reader),

And, befieve itor mot,
said enforcement officers
dre vecasionally thanked in
ain otherwise thankless job:
Hamilton noted that busi-
ness owners are very
pleased to see overparked

and illegally parked curs
Uicketed because those curs
keep customers away. Good
point, that.

Without parking bylaws
and their enforcement our
streets would be a zoo. and
they're none too tame as if
is.

So grin and bear it folks,
and remember my favorite
Sesame Street song: “A
parking enforcement officer
is a person ia your neigh-
borhood, in your neightor-
hood...”

Be safe.

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MERCEDES BENZ OWNERS ||"

If you wish to sell your vehicle directly to Mercedes Benz or if you would like a current
evaluation of your vehicle, please contact the Sales Manager at your convenience.

“| Finance for 60 mos. at $259.75,
per mo. and prmt. of $4600 and
you own it. TP $20,185

Bl Finance For 60 mos. at $277.58

per ma. and pymt. of $5750 and

Ms you own it. TP $22,404.80

be
Finance for 60 mos, at $299.37
oer mo, and pymt. of $5800 and
you own it. 1P $25,762.20. °