Parking nightmare earns Lethbridge resident fine; city said ‘signs not required’

LETHBRIDGE – A Lethbridge resident who paid the parking meter then returned to a fine from the city is frustrated with the city’s explanation.

Juran Greene went for his weekly trip to the farmer’s market Wednesday afternoon, and arrived at a busy Festival Square. The only free spot had a car next to it that was parked crooked, taking up some of the stall, so Greene thought his best option would be to back in.

“When I returned I was really surprised to find out that I still had time on the meter, but I also had a ticket on my window,” he said.

It was a $10 fine for parking backwards into a metered parallel stall, which Greene said he did not even know was an offence. He decided to appeal the ticket, stating there was no signage anywhere indicating the bylaw.

The response from the city: “signs are not required.”

“I felt kind of like pushed over, with them saying ‘forget you, give me your 10 dollars, you being ignorant about parking backwards is your fault’,” he added.

According to the city, the bylaw is intended to keep drivers safe.

“You have to cross the centre line to back into a stall, which causes a traffic hazard,” said Don Yanke with the City of Lethbridge parking detail.

He explained the reason signs are not required to notify residents of the bylaw is because it’s implied they should know to park front end only at a metered stall.

But how many people actually know this?

“That just seems completely unfair,” said one resident Global News spoke to Wednesday.

“As long as the meter’s plugged, what does it matter?” added another.

For Green it’s not about the $10, it’s the awareness.

“That’s the biggest thing: people don’t know,” he explained. “I think when people get tickets and they do not get a proper response why they were getting that ticket…I think it’s one of those things that really rubs me the wrong way.”

He hopes by sharing his story, other residents will think before they park.