New curbside signs were installed earlier this year along a stretch of West Cordova limiting parking to just three minutes
On a recent weekday afternoon in downtown Vancouver, a worker from Incredible Restorations stood vigil beside a company truck parked at the foot of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel while his colleagues worked inside a nearby building.
“It’s in case a tow truck comes,” he said.
For the past several months, cars parked along the 1000-block of West Cordova Street have been disappearing faster than free samples at Costco.
According to city data, an average of 150 cars a month have been towed along this block, between Thurlow and Burrard streets, since May.
New curbside signs installed earlier this year indicate that from April 1 to Oct. 15, the block has been converted to a “passenger zone” with a strict three-minute parking limit.
The city says the changes were implemented to accommodate the increased demand for ride-hailing services during cruise-ship season. Because of their proximity to the Canada Place cruise-ship terminal, this stretch of West Cordova and several other nearby blocks have become temporary passenger, taxi or tour bus zones, with parking restrictions ranging from three to 10 minutes.
However, some drivers have found the conflicting signage confusing.
On West Cordova, one curbside sign indicates pay parking is permitted from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. But above it, another sign indicates parking is permitted for three minutes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. If someone goes to pay at the parking kiosk on the sidewalk, a sign on the side of the kiosk tells drivers to “refer to temporary curbside signs for parking restrictions.” A similar message appears on the kiosk’s digital display.
“It felt like we were being conned,” said Sue Fryer, 81, who travelled from Vancouver Island to Vancouver on a recent Sunday afternoon to visit her daughter and grandson.
Fryer’s daughter, Nicola, parked her vehicle in front of Bacaro café at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and paid to park for 45 minutes.
“When my daughter returned from picking me up at the Hullo Ferry terminal, she freaked out, thinking her car had been stolen,” recalled Fryer. “I went into the café and asked the staff if they’d seen what happened to the vehicle. One pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with the name and address of the city’s towing contractor — as if it had happened tons of times before.”
The family then took a 3½ kilometre trip to Busters Towing to get their car, but not before they noticed another vehicle being towed.
“It makes me very angry to think that these seven spots are producing hundreds of duped customer dollars,” the grandmother said. “The signs for three-minute parking are high up on a street post, and my daughter didn’t see them while driving, looking for a parking spot.”
To retrieve their car, the Fryers paid a $130 impound fee to the towing company and an additional $60 to the city for the bylaw infraction.
If they were to appeal for a refund or reversal of the ticket and towing costs, they’d likely face an uphill climb, according to one legal expert.
“Cities have a lot of power when it comes to enforcing their own bylaws, which in this case, state that motorists must adhere to the most recent signage posted for parking,” said Vancouver lawyer Kyla Lee.
“The best anyone can do is write a letter to city council and ask for less confusing signs, or for the city to remove the sign that says paid parking is permitted on the block.”
A city spokesperson told Postmedia that “where possible, staff adjust pay stations and mobile parking apps during times when parking is not permitted.”
“However, in cases like this, where there is one pay station that covers multiple regulations, the times may not align. The posted signage always applies, even if there are discrepancies between the pay stations, mobile apps, and signage.”
When Postmedia News visited the West Cordova block this week, several cars were observed sitting idle for almost an hour between 11 a.m. and noon.
One of the cars belonged to two Vancouver Foodie Tour employees who admitted they knew it was a risky decision.
“We kept an eye out to see if a meter man was anywhere nearby. Since they weren’t, we decided to take a chance,” one of them said.
“I wouldn’t park here all day, that’s for sure.”