A Penticton man’s $45 ticket may result in the elimination of parking meters in the city’s downtown, at least for certain months of the year.
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December 02, 2022 - 1:30 PM
A Penticton man’s $45 ticket may result in the elimination of parking meters in the city’s downtown, at least for certain months of the year.
The fine was issued to Ryan Oickle the co-owner of Gratify, a health food store on Main Street.
“It’s a kick in the teeth to get home from a slow day at the shop and then you’re down $45,” he said, adding that he didn't realize his parked vehicle was violating any municipal bylaws.
“With such wealthy real estate market I can’t see why they need to charge us for parking on Main Street."
READ MORE: Why you really don’t have to pay that private lot parking ticket
Paid parking in the summertime may not be as consequential for business owners thanks to tourism, but for most of the year they rely on local support, Oickle said.
He vented his frustration by penning an open letter to the city, which he posted to social media.
“Fix your pricing structure,” reads the letter in part. “Stop giving out insanely inflated tickets. Reevaluate your priorities for downtown before it's too late.”
The post got thousands of reactions.
Councillor Ryan Graham reached out to Oickle after seeing the letter, and will be presenting a notice of motion to address the issue at next week's council meeting.
Coun. Graham proposes the city suspend on-street paid parking downtown from Dec. 7 to March 31, reinstate a free two-hour parking limit and discuss the elimination of it altogether when deliberating next year’s budget.
The meeting begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, however the notice of motion is one of the last items on a five-page agenda.
The city installed the parking meters in March 2021, which charge $2 per hour.
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