Parking rules should reflect business activity

On Monday. a friend and I headed to 4th Avenue in Kitsilano to enjoy an ice cream cone after patronizing a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner. It was 9:10 p.m. and plenty of meter parking was available close to the ice cream shop. Aside from the frozen eatery, only one other business was open, but appeared to be winding down for the night.

I plugged the meter for 18 minutes of parking, figuring that was sufficient time to purchase my frozen treat.

After a longer than anticipated wait, I returned to my car to find a $35 parking violation ticket issued at 9:35 p.m., about seven minutes after my meter had expired.

Although I understand these are city bylaws and citizens must observe them, I do not understand why the city insists on people paying for parking late into the evening on a slow business night (as evidenced by all the empty spots) when the people who are parking are contributing to the local economy and city tax base. If anything, I would advocate for the opposite.

Modify parking regulations to encourage more people to come out and shop during traditionally slow or quiet periods.

Nowadays, when given the choice of heading to downtown Vancouver to shop or to a suburban mall with free parking, I opt for the latter simply to avoid paying for parking.

I suggest city hall consider adopting a parking plan that better reflects the ebbs and flows of business and modify their regulations accordingly.

A flexible plan that encourages people to come out during offpeak times will both boost local business and add tax revenue to city coffers.

J. SHECTER Vancouver