Will changing enforcement and a new app make a difference?
At this time last year, visitors to Lions Bay did not have to pay for parking.
But according to Village Director of Operations Karl Buhr. the advent of a full-time bylaw enforcement officer means that pay parking will continue to be enforced throughout the year, and the unpopular and difficult-to-use Flowbird app has now been replaced throughout the Village by the more common 'PayByPhone' app.
Local resididents have repeatedly expressed concerns about fine enforcement.
In one case, a Mountain Drive resident watched a visitor toss his ticket into the gutter earlier this fall. She told The Watershed that the hiker just laughed off her concerns, and said he had been tossing his tickets for years without penalty.
Bylaw Enforcement Officer Taj Bindra confirms that staff issue warning letters before violations are forwarded to ICBC and a collection agency. However, he notes that the staffing shortage has resulted in a backlog of outstanding parking violation notices.
"As the full-time Bylaw Officer, I have been tasked with dealing with this issue," Bindra says. "Rest assured that these tickets do get followed up on."
The November council meeting briefly touched on the topic, when referencing Bindra's October report. The report (which can be found HERE on page 4) shows the problem to be a significant one, with 1,206 outstanding parking violations since 2021, equating to $289,440 in unrealized revenue to the Village.
It remains to be seen if the improved availability of the new parking app will result in fewer tickets issued in the coming year.
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