Joe Blow
04-11-2005, 03:49 PM
The Brampton Guardian had this article regarding parking at their LVEC... not that our current MCentre doen'st have similar problems.. but the size of thiers is much closer to that of our impending LVEC...
Tickets incense Battalion fans
Dozens of vehicles tagged for parking in fire route
PAM DOUGLAS, Staff Writer
City Councillor John Hutton has a stack of parking tickets at home that he doesn't know quite what to do with yet-- none of them belong to him.
There are approximately 50 of them, all taken off the windshields of vehicles parked in a fire route at the Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment during Friday night's Brampton Battalion hockey game.
"I still have them, but I did speak to the person (who took them off) today, and I am hoping he will take them back again," Hutton said yesterday.
Hutton was at the game when a man he knows handed him the tickets. When asked why he took them, Hutton said, "I guess I didn't know any better. In retrospect, knowing what I know now, I shouldn't have."
Obstruction of justice
Removing a ticket from the windshield of a car can be considered obstruction of justice.
Hutton said he didn't say he would take care of the tickets.
"I said I'd see what I can do, I'd look into it," he said.
He said an announcement was made for fans with concerns about the tickets to "contact" their local councillor or the mayor. Hutton said he was very visible at the game, so upset fans approached him.
Who originally took the tickets off, and what to do about it now, is being discussed behind closed doors by the city's legal experts. The issue will be discussed by city councillors today in-camera.
There are "options" the city is examining to determine what to do, but the tickets cannot be cancelled.
"The parking tickets are valid," said City of Brampton Communications Director Brian Johnston yesterday. "They must be paid or negotiated with a provincial offences officer. Tickets cannot be cancelled once they are issued."
Johnston, the city's spokesperson, said he does not know how the car owners will be able to find out if they were issued a ticket and it was taken off their windshield before they got back to their vehicles.
He said the city's legal department is examining the situation.
There were 50 tickets written for parking in a fire route, carrying a $100 fine, and one for parking in a designated disabled spot, which carries a $300 fine.
The bother over the parking tickets has highlighted a lack of parking at the Brampton Centre for Sports when thousands of spectators attend an event.
Visitors have routinely parked around the ring road of the centre on Kennedy Road S. without being ticketed, according to centre officials.
"For four years, anyway, bylaw has never enforced parking in that area because the facility is challenged parking-wise," said Mike Hardcastle, general manager of the Brampton Centre. "When we have a large event, there isn't enough space to put all of those cars."
There were approximately 4,000 spectators at the centre for Friday night's OHL playoff game, along with another 500 users of two of the centre's other ice rinks. The facility has about 1,350 paved parking spots.
Hardcastle said patrons of the facility were so used to being able to park around the ring road-- which city officials say is adequately posted with "No Parking, Fire Route"signs-- they park there even when the lot isn't full.
The incident upset fans and Battalion officials.
"We were disappointed that people were being issued tickets (in areas) that were not clearly marked no parking zones," said Mike Griffin, president of the Battalion.
But Johnston said the ring road is adequately marked.
And bylaw officers were back at the centre Saturday and again Sunday, issuing more tickets to those parked along the ring road.
The city is currently running its annual parking campaign aimed at those who park in fire routes and illegally in designated disabled spots.
Hardcastle said parking arrangements can be made to ensure no one has to park on the ring road in the future. He said the centre was hoping to make arrangements with neighbours, including Turner Fenton High School and the mosque across the street, to use their parking lots if the Battalion season had not ended.
Hutton said the city will address the parking issue at the centre.
"We need to resolve that. We have to find more parking there, that's a given," he said.
Tickets incense Battalion fans
Dozens of vehicles tagged for parking in fire route
PAM DOUGLAS, Staff Writer
City Councillor John Hutton has a stack of parking tickets at home that he doesn't know quite what to do with yet-- none of them belong to him.
There are approximately 50 of them, all taken off the windshields of vehicles parked in a fire route at the Brampton Centre for Sports and Entertainment during Friday night's Brampton Battalion hockey game.
"I still have them, but I did speak to the person (who took them off) today, and I am hoping he will take them back again," Hutton said yesterday.
Hutton was at the game when a man he knows handed him the tickets. When asked why he took them, Hutton said, "I guess I didn't know any better. In retrospect, knowing what I know now, I shouldn't have."
Obstruction of justice
Removing a ticket from the windshield of a car can be considered obstruction of justice.
Hutton said he didn't say he would take care of the tickets.
"I said I'd see what I can do, I'd look into it," he said.
He said an announcement was made for fans with concerns about the tickets to "contact" their local councillor or the mayor. Hutton said he was very visible at the game, so upset fans approached him.
Who originally took the tickets off, and what to do about it now, is being discussed behind closed doors by the city's legal experts. The issue will be discussed by city councillors today in-camera.
There are "options" the city is examining to determine what to do, but the tickets cannot be cancelled.
"The parking tickets are valid," said City of Brampton Communications Director Brian Johnston yesterday. "They must be paid or negotiated with a provincial offences officer. Tickets cannot be cancelled once they are issued."
Johnston, the city's spokesperson, said he does not know how the car owners will be able to find out if they were issued a ticket and it was taken off their windshield before they got back to their vehicles.
He said the city's legal department is examining the situation.
There were 50 tickets written for parking in a fire route, carrying a $100 fine, and one for parking in a designated disabled spot, which carries a $300 fine.
The bother over the parking tickets has highlighted a lack of parking at the Brampton Centre for Sports when thousands of spectators attend an event.
Visitors have routinely parked around the ring road of the centre on Kennedy Road S. without being ticketed, according to centre officials.
"For four years, anyway, bylaw has never enforced parking in that area because the facility is challenged parking-wise," said Mike Hardcastle, general manager of the Brampton Centre. "When we have a large event, there isn't enough space to put all of those cars."
There were approximately 4,000 spectators at the centre for Friday night's OHL playoff game, along with another 500 users of two of the centre's other ice rinks. The facility has about 1,350 paved parking spots.
Hardcastle said patrons of the facility were so used to being able to park around the ring road-- which city officials say is adequately posted with "No Parking, Fire Route"signs-- they park there even when the lot isn't full.
The incident upset fans and Battalion officials.
"We were disappointed that people were being issued tickets (in areas) that were not clearly marked no parking zones," said Mike Griffin, president of the Battalion.
But Johnston said the ring road is adequately marked.
And bylaw officers were back at the centre Saturday and again Sunday, issuing more tickets to those parked along the ring road.
The city is currently running its annual parking campaign aimed at those who park in fire routes and illegally in designated disabled spots.
Hardcastle said parking arrangements can be made to ensure no one has to park on the ring road in the future. He said the centre was hoping to make arrangements with neighbours, including Turner Fenton High School and the mosque across the street, to use their parking lots if the Battalion season had not ended.
Hutton said the city will address the parking issue at the centre.
"We need to resolve that. We have to find more parking there, that's a given," he said.