While city crews have been busy sweeping winter dust and gravel from Calgary’s streets, so too have Calgary Parking Authority attendants — handing out almost 10,000 tickets in the first week.
The months-long operation got underway in late March, and according to the city’s website, it’s expected to reach into July.
City officials advised when the program started that signs would be posted throughout neighbourhoods where cleaning is taking place, and if you leave your car in the way, expect a ticket.
“We’ve issued more tickets,” Joan Hay, with the parking authority, said on Wednesday. “Photo enforcement is more effective than methods we’ve used in the past and so there may be more tickets because of that.”
The fine for leaving your vehicle on the street when it’s scheduled to be swept is $120, which would drop to $80 if it’s paid within the first 10 days.
Some of the drivers that received one of the 9,827 tickets were frustrated with how the city is carrying out the street sweeping.
Jemma Buls lives in the Coventry Hills neighbourhood and said she moved her vehicle when her street was being swept, but received a ticket on her vehicle after her block had been cleaned.
“The signs that were up were not on our street, they were in the other side of the community and they were for April 2 and 3,” Buls told Global News.
“They cleaned the street April 1, so there was no reason to not park on the street as we normally would as we don’t have driveways.”
WATCH: Calgarians parked in snow route ticketed despite street not plowed (February)
Buls called the ticket unreasonable.
According to Hay, parking authority attendants enforce based on the signage.
“Look at the signs and see what times the bans are for and keep your vehicle off the street during the ban,” she said.
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