Playoff parking ban leads to 350 tickets, dozens of tows
Whyte, Jasper avenues restricted after 6 p.m. during all Oilers playoff games
The City of Edmonton has dispensed nearly 350 tickets and towed dozens of vehicles since playoff parking bans went into effect on Whyte and Jasper avenues, and city staff say revellers seem to be getting the message.
The city banned game-day parking on both streets after 6 p.m. when the Oilers began their playoff run last month. City staff said police and emergency crews needed street and sidewalk access in the busy entertainment districts.
“We’re really happy with the compliance rate,” Alan Le, with the city’s parking enforcement services department, said Tuesday. “It seems like the longer the Oilers are in the playoffs, the more people are getting the message that there is this parking ban in place for Whyte and Jasper. So our tickets are generally decreasing.”
For the duration of the playoff run, which goes to a crucial Game 7 in Anaheim on Wednesday, vehicles are banned from parking along Jasper Avenue from 100th to 109th streets.
A ban is also in place on Whyte Avenue between Gateway Boulevard and 109th Street. Tickets typically run $50, while a ticket and tow can cost around $200.
Whyte was by far the more ticketed street, with 245 tickets of 349 tickets and 92 of 96 tows. The majority of tickets were issued during away games. Parking enforcement staff cut 146 tickets when the Oilers were at home.
Mark Wilson, owner of Vivid Print on Whyte Avenue, said the ban gives him peace of mind as the playoff parties get rowdier. The street saw rioting during the team’s last playoff run in 2006.
“They’re being cautious,” he said of the city. “A night like tomorrow (Game 7), I can definitely see a need for removing cars off the avenue because depending on the outcome, either way, it might get a little lively.”
While Wilson favoured pushing the ban to 9 p.m. instead of 6 p.m., he said the impact on his business has been minimal.
The city has also logged 364 cases where a volunteer ambassador has advised a driver to move a vehicle before it was ticketed.
“They actually went store to store to make sure everybody had their car removed,” he said. “They’re being really proactive about making sure people aren’t being unnecessarily fined.”
It seems like the longer the Oilers are in the playoffs, the more people are getting the message that there is this parking ban.