So, I am confused as to what that *actual* bylaw is here. Is it unlawful to have a vehicle on city property for sale? Or is it because the amount of cars at the CN Center for sale is getting bigger by the day?

We have a vehicle for sale that my husband takes to work, parks on the road across from his work (where all the employees park) and puts a sign on it. Is that breaking the bylaw? The road is city property.

This is not the only place this happens.

If you look to the side of HWY 16 and Westgate Ave., chances are you will see vehicles parked there for sale as well. Often times the people selling them will park them and obstruct the views of the intersection of Westgate Ave. and the frontage road.

It drives me crazy to see cars parked in the Hwy 16/Westgate area. If you want to sell a car, do it in your own driveway and advertise in the newspaper!

How ridiculuse can it get. There are thousands of bylaws that the City does not enforce. Why are they trying to stop people from selling there cars that are parked on public property out of the way?

Is it because there may be some pressure from car dealers?

Why not drive down Ospica and check issue and tickets to the properties that dont maintain the boulavards or the open garbage containers at apatment buildings that are feeding the crows.

There is a strip mall on the corner of Massey and Ospica that dosent have a blade of grass just last winters sand and gravel on the boulavard.

Cheers

If they are concerned about vehicles parking where they shouldn't how about talking to the people at Remax Reality downtown on 15th who have been parking their vehicles on the city boulevard so much all the grass is damaged. They can't seem to park in the parking lot as it is full at their end of the lot and too lazy to walk from the vacant stalls so they park on the grass or now dirt. Just drive by any weekday and you will see their vehicles damaging the grass. I would rather have that bylaw enforced than a person trying to sell a vehicle, that is parked on pavement and not damaging anyone or anything.

This has been going on for at least three years. We called bylaw enforcement last year and basically they said they know about it.

There were some on Foothills at Fifth as well; not so often anymore. On occasion one sees this while travelling through other communities, so it is not just here.

At such locations the solution seems rather simple to me. Put up signs similar to some shopping centres –
“parking for patrons of the civic facilities only”;
“parking for a maximum of 3 hours”;
“violators will be towed”.

Then contract with a towing company to monitor and tow.

In addition, ticket them and take them to court. End of story.

“Is it because there may be some pressure from car dealers?”

I assume that could be part of the reason. However, as you can tell from the posts on here there are others who are concerned as well.

The parking lot is there for those using civic facilities. It is the City’s parking lot and they dictate, just as any private parking lot owner, what can be done with it.

If a group wishes to use the lot for anything other than parking their vehicle while attending an event in the surrounding area, they have to rent the space. We paid $250 or so to use a small portion of the lot a few years ago.

The other thing, as well, is that this does not just occur there, it does occur on the street right of way immediately adjacent to the paved section in some locations.

What else should I be allowed to do there? In other parts of the world, private sale of typically used goods is often done through “trunk” sales (car trunks). You put the stuff you want in your trunk, drive to a spot, preferably where others are planning on doing the same thing, park your car, open up the trunk, set up your chair and a small table and away you go – instant flea market. Move the garage sale or yard sale to a more visible property and draw a crowd. Invite a hot dog vendor to come there for lunchtime, get someone to bring a helium cylinder and blow up some balloons for the kids and entertain the folks while the other half of the family is playing soccer or skating in the arena.

http://www.carbootjunction.com
http://www.parca.citysoup.ca/Annual+Car+Trunk+Sale/Annual+Car+Trunk+Sale.htm

Or how about an operator who does chainsaw carvings? Drives there, parks the car, brings out his wares and starts to carve. Tons of empty space. Why not?

Or the Okanagan Fruit vendors? Or the Rupert seafood vendors?

Perfectly good place for that. Much unused paved space. I have not problem if these are special events, even special uses. BUT, pay for the use of civic facilities which are used for your own private gain.

THAT is the difference! I do not want my taxpayer dollars to go to other people’s advantage. That part of the world is not a FREE world. When you want to make money from a facility that I have partially funded, I want to make money too so that I do not have to pay as much.

In a nutshell, these people are freeloaders on our backs.

I`ve observed this phenomenon grow over the past while and as a tax paying citizen who does not work in the auto sales field, I am happy to see the City go where the "rubber meets the road".

Looks like there is a business opportunity for us (City=taxpayers) to earn some money to help make the payments on the million dollar electronic sign at the CN Center.

Set the desirable lots at the edge aside for those who wish rent them to display/advertise their vehicles! Have them sign the rules and collect a weekly rental fee!

:)-

I notice that this parking lot is used by the Police and Fire Department and the Sheriffs department for different training opportunitys. In addition over the years I have seen the RCMP in that area with their dogs.

Have also noticed Motorcycle training people on this site running a business. Plus from time to time car and truck driver training companies.

Some people use it for roller blading, and some use it to learn to drive.

Are all these uses legal, or do we just jump on the ones we dont like.

Kind of like carrying a plastic bag to give the impression that you pick up after your dog, but in fact you never do.

We have signage that 5th avenue is not to be used for biking from Carney St. East, and to use 8th avenue. There is not a day goes by that I do not see people biking on 5th. In addition they are not wearing helmets. How can this be, how is it possible that they can flagrantly flout the law and no one seems to care.

I suppose if they wanted to sit on an empty lot and sell their bikes and helmets, then we would complain.

Go downtown any day of the week and you will see people on bikes all over the place crisscrossing the street, and not a helmet is site. Isnt it amazing, how blind we can be if it suits our purpose, and how sharp and aware we are in other areas.

Complaint driven by-laws are a convenient hiding place for city personel.

Used for the yanks to camp out on also...so don't expect the city to do much...I doubt there is anyone in bylaws with enough brass to enforce anything...at least that opinion is based on my prior experiences with them...

All they have to do is post it...
and start towing...
is is that easy....but we have all these high paid thinkers who are having a hard time of this concept it seems... Must to too easy of an idea????

"Have also noticed Motorcycle training people on this site running a business.


I have as well. As I said, we used a portion of the lot a few years and paid for it. We had an all day event and I did not want to get kicked out half way through, so I called City Hall and that is the situation. Quite reasoanble when one thingks about it. As I said, those people obviously do not. They are freeloaders.

And yes, I agree that there is an opportunity there. Not much money, but every little bit counts.

Maybe rather than a bunch of us calling the city on whether the others are freeloaders as well, Ben of Elaine could follow up to see what the policy is and the process of ensuring people pay, if that is the policy.

BTW, I am planning on setting up my booth in the foyer of the Civic Centre. Why should I have to pay? As a citizen, I own a share. Where does this stop?

Be careful there owl, cougar manangement might take you onto the ice and have a hockey game with you....
Don't wan't to mess with the CN center....
LOL
Maybe set it up in the lobby of city hall...I'll come visit...

Why not set up a used car lot at Walmart RV Park. It's not city land. Yes, I do believe that the City is selective in enforcing it's bylaws. They wouldn't let BCR employess post signs on city Blvds or their own employees union either. Garage sales and political signs are apparently OK. As for enforcing the bylaws we have, how many charges has the City laid under the illegal suite bylaw or the noise bylaw?

The one that is the worst and is obvious to anyone who walks by a park or a school yard is people running their dogs, and doing doo doo. All playgrounds and school yards are posted. No dogs, No Doo Doo. does this stop anyone. No. Does the City do anything about it. No. Does the school, or the teachers complain to the City??? I dont know. Should they? Yes.

Every spring when you walk on the sidewalk beside a school in is literally covered in dog Doo Doo. How is this possible when people are supposed to be picking up???

Another wonderful way to allow your dog to crap all over the place, is to walk him down a back alley. This raises all kinds of commotion with other dogs in peoples yards, but hey, you dont have to pick up.

The City might drive by your house to see if you are watering on an off day, however I doubt if you would ever see them checking the schools, playgrounds, and alleys for dog Doo Doo.

If dog crapping in parks and playgrounds, and alleys was only allowed for certain dog crapping business's and others tried to use these facilities for their dogs, the City would be informed and they would inforce the bylaw.

Enjoy your free spirited bicycle riding (helmetless) dog crapping, day.

"...the City also has a relationship with ICBC..."
I wished I had a relationship with the City. I'd like to be able to phone in a license plate number and find out who owns what. I could find out who's visiting the neighbours wife. What a handy relationship!

"garage sales and political signs are apparently OK"

Political signs are okay because the province forces them to be okay. It is illegal for the city to NOT allow signs on city street rights of way. You will notice that the majority are down within a day of the end of the election.

I think it might be time to start from scratch.get rid of all municipal bylaws and then see what types of activities will begin to take place. Those which get the most complaints in the first two months will get a new bylaw attached to them and a committment to enforce those bylaws. Then we keep going until there are no more "reasonable" number of complaints.

That ought to shut everyone up. Right?

;-)

"I could find out who's visiting the neighbours wife."

Everyone knows it's the Fuller Brush Man.

Did you notice just how fast the citizen picked up on the 250 story it was headlines this morning, a day later , but should we be surprised. You guys should charge them for the news. At least we would get some good stories

More free advertising .....

greast location

great coverage from 250

front page coverage from the Citizen

What more could they possibly want?

I know ...

Word of mouth ....

Psssst .. a friend of mine said he bought a car there yesterday after reading it on here and he said he could not have gotten a better deal anywhere. It was almost a steal.

;-)

Did we go full circle on this one. An empty parking lot for the use of our hallowed sport fans that sits empty 99% of the time has caused all this dialogue.

Wake up people and get a life.

Cheers

It is unbelievable that there so many uncaring people in our society to call a few individuals that are trying to sell a vehicle on a parking lot already paid for by those individuals in tax dollars.

Our community is loaded with free loaders and shiesters. One need only look at the business practices of our merchants and others that depend on making a buck off our hard earned dollars. They pay for a license and that gives them the right to rip us off. Real state is a prime example. Because there is a demand the prices of a single family dwelling goes up through the roof. We call it market demand.

The executives in our free enterprise system can rip us off starting at 200 grand to millions of dollars but we close our eyes and let it happen.

Shame on you for being so uncaring about your fellow man.

Cheers

It is not just that location. It is everywhere.

Yesterday we came out of the Costco parking lot driving south past Future Shop. Right at the end parking spot was a vehicle with For Sale signs in the windshield and the dirver and passenger side windows. It was obvious that it was parked there to get visibility.

Last year the inner road of that development had several small motor homes parked there all day for the same purpose. Higher visibility than their own driveway at home.

What would this city look like if everyone sold their second hand cars that way?

The "college painters" used to put their signs on City boulevards telling passers by that they just finished painting a house in the neighbourhood.

What if Sears put up such wire signs that they just delivered another Sears appliance/furniture to a house nearby? How about roofers, that they just finished roofing a house; or landscapers that they mow lawns and tend gardens in the area? The list goes on.

There are reasons for such laws. Every time a new fad starts, and it gets out of hand, and people will not change their ways of doing things when spoken to reasonably, another law is created. Don’t blame the City for creating such laws. Blame the citizens who think the place they live in deserves to be cluttered up with their garbage.

As far as there being so many uncaring people in our society, Bridge, you got that right!! Except you and I differ on who they are.

The lot is gnerally unused. So, here is the suggestion.

Rezone the property for car sales. Allow people to park there as long as they register. Charge them 10% of the sale price of the car for allowing them to do that.

The City is selling visibility. Visibility is obviosuly worth something. So, let's see if it is worth 10%.

It never fails. We started with a few vehicles on a vacant parking lot and we end up with all the ills in our comunity.

I started out by saying we have thounds of bylaw violations that are never enforced why are we enforcing vehicle sales from a vacant parking lot.

If the City is selling visibility why don't they start by enforcing the "Property Maitenance Bylaw". I guess you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.

Cheers

Try parking your own car in front of your own property and see how fast the bylaw people show up. I'm not even talking on the street, but on the grass between my property and the curb. It incensed me to say the least. So, I parked the car crossways in my own driveway. Don't really know what the difference is, but they don't have any problem enforcing the bylaws where your car should be parked for sale, outside your house where you live and pay taxes. They don't mind bullying the home owner, but give them a bigger problem to deal with and they seem to be invisible. Chester