A committee of Moncton city council will look at whether the city should stop private parking lots from “booting” improperly parked cars on private lots in the city.
The “boot” is a clamp that that immobilizes cars. The boot can be unlocked after the car’s owner pays a fee.
The devices are used by several North American cities, usually to force drivers who have racked up hefty parking fines to pay their tickets.
In Moncton, about two-thirds of private parking lots in the downtown area use the boot on vehicles that are parked on their lots without authorization.
Co-chaired by councillors Bryan Butler and Greg Turner, the committee will meet with parking lot owners, citizens, and Downtown Moncton Centre-ville, an organization that represents the interests of the downtown business community. The goal is to find solutions to “booting” by educating the public on where they can and cannot park.
“It’s mostly visitors who are not familiar with the downtown core, they see an empty spot put the car there and think it’s safe,” Turner said.
Recommendations from the committee are expected to be delivered to council by before Oct. 31.
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