Vancouverites are fed up with being ticketed right after they pay for parking
Being ticketed at a privately operated parking lot in Vancouver is a frustrating experience that appears to be all-too-common in the city, and after Daily Hive Urbanized reported a story about it this week, more residents have voiced their frustrations.
A Vancouver broadcaster shared his story of being ticketed even though he paid for parking at a downtown EasyPark lot, and the story really hit a nerve with Daily Hive Urbanized readers. Many say similar things have happened to them at privately owned Vancouver parkades, and they’re sick of being unfairly ticketed.
Samson Chan parked his car in an EasyPark lot in Vancouver’s Chinatown on June 3 just after 11 am and purchased a ticket at 11:04 am. Luckily he kept his receipt because when he returned to his car a couple of hours later, there was a ticket on the dash — placed at 11:05 am.
“It really pisses me off because clearly I just parked and was paying for the ticket,” he told Daily Hive Urbanized. “Basically, the guy was ticketing me while I was paying. It was so absurd.”
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Chan parked close to the meter, and it took him about a minute to buy his ticket. But he wondered what might have happened to someone who parked further away or who had a mobility challenge.
“I feel that EasyPark is predatory,” Chan said. “They put the burden of proof on you, the customer, even though they did everything wrong.”
Chan appealed his ticket online, and it was voided about a week later. But Chan didn’t like waiting in limbo for a response from EasyPark, not knowing if he’d be on the hook to pay the fine.
In the end, EasyPark told him their system hadn’t updated to reflect his payment.
Samia Cader got a ticket while paying for parking last month, and alleges the parking enforcement worker wouldn’t answer her questions about why it happened. (Submitted)
Samia Cader, a Vancouver designer, parked in a Diamond Parking-operated Willow Street lot for a doctor’s appointment on May 23 and was ticketed while paying for parking. She initially brought coins to the machine but saw it only took card. When she walked back to her vehicle to get her wallet, it already had a ticket on the windshield.
“It felt very disrespectful, you know? You don’t do that,” she told Daily Hive Urbanized.
She was the only person who had just parked and believes the agent should have seen that. When she confronted him about why he ticketed her car, he allegedly wouldn’t answer her questions.
“They need to give them the training about how to not over-abuse,” she said.
Their stories come after Drex Chan, a radio host on Jack 96.9, spoke to Daily Hive Urbanized about getting ticketed four minutes after he paid on June 13.
“[They’re] Likely banking on the fact you don’t grab a receipt from that machine, so you’ll pay [the ticket],” he told Daily Hive Urbanized. “They make you jump through hoops to get rid of the ticket even though it’s not your fault.”
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In Chan’s case, EasyPark’s director of client services Ravinder Bains told Daily Hive Urbanized, “It appears the meter had a wireless system issue and was not communicating with our enforcement system.”
Daily Hive Urbanized has followed up with EasyPark about why the problem appears to be fairly common.
Chan’s story sparked discussion online, with many saying the parking company’s actions weren’t acceptable.
This is insanity. How does easypark think this is ok?
— Chris Choi (@cbchoi) June 15, 2023
@CityofVancouver similar situation they machine wasn’t working, got ticket, called Easypark to discuss and willing to pay, but there is no service can only pay Ticket fine
— Moe (@avsfan_91) June 14, 2023
Shouldn’t have been ticketed in the first place. Just pure incompetence on the part of EasyPark
— Justin Martin (@jam6475) June 15, 2023
Yes I have. Downtown for a concert. Paid until the next morning but. Had a ticket on my car when I got out of the concert at 11pm. Disputed it with EasyPark and it was waived.
— Thistle Dew (@thistledewtoo) June 16, 2023
Tickets from privately operated parkades not legally enforceable: Traffic lawyer
The stories shared with Daily Hive Urbanized come from privately owned and operated parkades within Vancouver. Companies that operate parkades here include EasyPark, Diamond Parking, Impark, and more.
Lawyer Kyla Lee tells Daily Hive Urbanized those fines are not legally enforceable, and all the company can do is sell the debt to a collections agency.
“You shouldn’t have to prove that you paid when they’re the ones that are in the wrong,” Lee said of the individuals ticketed while at the meter.
“If you’re being ticketed and you’ve already paid for parking, my recommendation would be to completely ignore the ticket. I wouldn’t jump through the hoops. If they’ve got your money, the likelihood they’re going to sell that debt to collections is slim.”
If a driver gets a genuine fine for parking at a private lot without paying, Lee has another tip. She recommends mailing the company a cheque for the exact amount owing based on how long you parked there, along with a letter stating that the final payment is made.
“If they cash the cheque, that’s essentially them accepting your offer to settle it. And they can’t do anything to you,” Lee said.
Of course, she doesn’t recommend continuing to park in private parkades that have issued fines against you — because that opens a new “can of worms” in terms of consequences. Private parkades can enforce trespass actions against drivers who don’t pay and can tow their cars from lots.
In theory, Lee says parkades could get a driver charged with theft for taking up a space and preventing the company from earning money off that stall. Although, in real life, she doubts police would have the resources to enforce that.
At the end of the day, she said the “threat factor” of fines from private parkades is very real and could scare people into paying even when they don’t need to.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult to figure out who to call. People are scared to do that, they’re too busy to do that, or they forget to do that. And these companies take advantage,” Lee said.
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