The following letter was submitted to CollingwoodToday.ca in response to a parking ticket received in The Blue Mountains under the new, increased parking enforcement rules. CollingwoodToday welcomes letters to the editor. They can be sent to [email protected].
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Dear Mr. Mayor Soever and Councillors of the Town of the Blue Mountains,
I was truly astonished at the absurd, yet brilliant money-raising scheme you’ve devised. Pay a municipal offences officer a nominal daily stipend and go rake in a bunch of money from unsuspecting scofflaws, for parking on a gravel back road that wouldn’t even be travelled except for people going on a Bruce Trail hike.
You must be very smug and self-satisfied in coming up with such a ‘revenue tool’ that also simultaneously chastises and sanctions the scourge of outdoor enthusiasts that has emerged in this COVID spring.
Running around ticketing folks parked on a back road with one set of wheels in the ditch, who are simply out to get some exercise on a hiking trial, to break the monotony and drudgery of COVID life is not commendable.
Nice catch-all infraction too - ‘parked in a manner to obstruct traffic’ that’s a good one; Side Road 9 is hardly a thoroughfare.
If a few cars on the edge of Side Road 9 is truly critically impinging the sound functioning of the municipality, put up no parking signs, or better yet, ‘Do not Enter’ signs on the townline and keep any interlopers out completely.
Given the circumstances, the nature of the activity, and the nature of the transgression, this is offside.
You may feel vindicated in the name of crowd control. After all, people from away are overrunning your town, causing mayhem and flouting your laws!
Instead of this scheme, you might come up with a way of facilitating the supposed “offer of amazing experiences for friends and families” touted on your website.
Gunars Robeznieks
Wasaga Beach
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