A Port Coquitlam man is livid after receiving a parking ticket for parking too close to his own driveway.
Now Richard Kozoris is looking for solutions to a parking space crunch that is creating headaches for himself and his neighbours.
Last week Kozoris said he was slapped with an $89 parking ticket because the bylaw officer said he was parked too close to his driveway.
“It’s ludicrous, that’s absolutely nuts” said Kozoris,”My bumper was on the edge of the driveway.”
The long-time PoCo resident says parking is often tight on Myrtle Way across from Irvine Elementary school but construction at the school has only made things worse.
“It’s bumper to bumper parking,” he told The Tri-City News.
Kozoris said he usually leaves his driveway open for his wife to get out, and tries to leave additional space for a neighbour, too.
His actions don’t inconvenience anyone, he said, but he was told “that’s the law.”
“Excuse me, it’s my house, my car, my driveway,” he said.
Kozoris said he managed to get the ticket waived after explaining the situation, but said he was told he could be ticketed again if he parks too close to his driveway in the future.
Making things worse, Kozoris added, is that people often park in front of the fire hydrant next to his house, but are rarely ticketed.
He said he would like to see the city help residents by providing decals that prove they live on the street. But, Kozoris added, no one has taken him up on his suggestion.
“I’ve told them before, why don’t we have a decal that is saying that you belong in the neighbourhood?”
In response, the city says it prefers to work with schools directly to eliminate parking problems while a decal system, though supported by some PoCo residents, could create more problems.
"While we understand some residents living near schools want a permit/decal parking system, this can often result in greater traffic safety issues with people stopping on the road, double parking etc. Staff have found working with schools to address issues have had positive results," stated Dominic Long, director of corporate support and community safety and Lisa Grant, director of development services, in an email to the Tri-City News.