it was a $200 lesson she won't soon forget and the information within may be out of date it was a $200 lesson she won’t soon forget the 20-year-old autism and behavioural sciences student came downtown to meet her friend at the Mikado Cafe leaving her vehicle at what looked like to her an uncontrolled parking lot It was dark out and the arm that controls access to the lot at 135 St mistakenly believing the lot belonged to the city which does not charge for parking after 6 p.m. neglected to purchase a pass from the coin machine despite the presence of signs indicating parking is never free and is enforced by towing Haine had to shell out $195 to retrieve her car from an impound lot the lot is privately owned and is monitored by a company called Ontario Private Parking Enforcement which does not hesitate to call in a tow truck operator to haul offending vehicles away Haine called the police but was told it was a civil matter now and she would have to pursue the matter in small claims court “There’s no point because that’s going to cost money anyway,” she said Because most people associate parking enforcement as municipal the complaints about private lots have been coming in to city hall billing manager responsible for parking enforcement said complaints about private lot tickets and towing has grown more prevalent in the last six months to a year “It’s filtering in,” she said “That’s what they (Toronto operators) do and it’s successful.” It doesn’t take long for a car to be towed Pat Disher’s sons were going to Serendipity on Duke Street and needed to use the lot beside the restaurant they went inside the restaurant to get some change and when they came out Disher tried calling to explain but was told repeatedly “we have your car.” The hint being I don’t treat people that way,” she said “The crime did not fit the punishment.” Miller said her office receives complaints similar to Disher’s all the time Miller said the city is trying to encourage people to come downtown at night and on weekends an effort high-priced parking tickets or towing fees undermines “Why wouldn’t we allow someone to come downtown in the evening and enjoy free parking,” she said “These private lot operators who tow vehicles after a few minutes there would be a political price to pay and it’s just not our philosophy.” said towing vehicles is his only effective means of enforcing the lot which is not the company’s main revenue generator The property is not a standalone parking but a supporting lot for its business properties in the downtown the revenue from night parking goes to pay business expenses and the only way to enforce payment is by towing Miles said writing private tickets doesn’t work because the only way to enforce payment is through small claims court “I don’t want to tow but I do not have any other options,” he said He said towing would stop if the city agreed to patrol his lot and write tickets He said the extra enforcement could more than be paid for by the extra revenue the city would have difficulty making money if it only charges $7 a ticket an amount which does not create much of a deterrent a general parking ticket for expired or unpaid meters is $12 “You police the private lots the same way you police your lots we don’t have this problem,” he said Miles said the company went through a similar situation in Hamilton the city would only patrol private lots once a complaint was received This meant owners needed to be there at night or hire someone to patrol the city changed its policy to accept a general complaint in advance which meant municipal enforcement staff would cruise through the lots as part of their regular patrols Miles said the main reason behind the change was pressure put on the city by increase the frequency of towing “I had to make a point,” he said “We made the point very clear.” operations analyst for Hamilton’s municipal parking system said the increase in towing was one of the reasons behind the city’s decision to accept advance complaints “That was part of the consideration,” Buckle said “It wasn’t something we ignored It was a factor but it wasn’t the only factor.” But Miller said such a tactic wouldn’t work here “That isn’t going to make a point for us,” she said “We don’t make a business decision on that premise.” Based on the city’s current ticket fees taking on extra patrols does not represent a revenue generator The operation would likely not break even either “It’s not as break even as the private industry thinks,” she said The purpose of parking enforcement is to ensure turnover of public spots “We don’t deal with it as a revenue source,” Miller said “We certainly don’t look at it as a cash grab.” a parking study to be completed this year may end up recommending the city get out of the parking business completely Mike Zettel is a reporter for Niagara This Week Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following 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