Draconian parking policies in Penticton

Last week, I ventured out for my first restaurant visit since the pandemic began.

A new downtown restaurant was selected and off I went to visit three friends I hadn’t seen in six months. When I arrived in downtown Penticton, I discovered every parking spot was metered and me with no change.

Fortunately the bylaw officer was on patrol and between tickets I inquired about change for the meter or could I tap my credit card. If you have a Smartphone simply download the app he said as he wrote up the car next to mine (my lunch mate it turned out.)

I pulled ahead after downloading the City of Penticton app but couldn’t find any way to pay for parking. I saw an empty lot ahead of me so I pulled up into it and parked

IMPARK.com was boldly displayed on their signage and I found the app easily. Once downloaded, licence plate entered, credit card, etc. I hit the “pay-now” button and after several tries was satisfied I was good to go.

An hour-and-a-half later, I returned and figured I would hit “pay now” or some other icon to conclude my transaction. I was however met by a $89.25 ticket on my windscreen and when I phoned the 1-800 number was told I had parked in a restricted area.

Pay up. Never, ever will I return to downtown Penticton. The parking situation is ridiculous. I’m so sorry for all the fine restaurants and shops that exist in the downtown core.

P.S. my friend’s ticket was only $45. When I called the city to discuss, they were happy to tell me the matter did not concern them. Cheers and have a good day.

John McIntosh

Penticton