Question: I often see vehicles parked along the highway, which seem to be dangerously close to traffic. Is this legal?
Answer: Parking infractions may seem to be relatively minor laws in the range of offences that police and bylaw officers investigate; however, these laws quickly grow in importance when you are the driver who has to swerve out of the way of a parked vehicle sticking out onto the highway, or you are the pedestrian who is trying to see past an improperly parked vehicle blocking a crosswalk.
Sunshine Coast RCMP regularly receive complaints from residents about parking-related issues. Depending on when these complaints are received and what area of the Sunshine Coast they are in, some reports may be dealt with by police, while others may be referred to a bylaw officer. There are numerous places where a vehicle cannot be parked; however, here are a few key reminders relating to parking infractions commonly reported on the Sunshine Coast.
A vehicle must not be parked:
• Within six metres of the approach side of a crosswalk or stop sign.
• On a highway for the principal purpose of displaying a vehicle for sale.
• Where a sign prohibits or restricts parking.
• So that it obstructs the free passage of traffic on the highway (“traffic” also includes pedestrians and cyclists).
• Other than on the right side of the roadway (i.e. parking on the wrong side of the road).
Depending on the circumstances, a peace officer may give the vehicle owner a warning or a violation ticket, or may have the vehicle towed. Sunshine Coast RCMP generally make an effort to contact the registered owner of a vehicle, to give them the opportunity to immediately remove the vehicle themselves; however, if an owner cannot be readily contacted, or the vehicle presents an immediate safety hazard, the vehicle may be towed instead.
Parking enforcement isn’t about writing tickets or towing vehicles, it’s about ensuring that the next truck that comes by doesn’t have to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid a poorly parked vehicle; it’s about ensuring that the senior citizen on a motorized scooter can safely travel along the shoulder of the road; and it’s about ensuring that our children can be seen while crossing the street. Please do your part to help keep our streets safe.
(Question the Constable! is a segment the Sunshine Coast RCMP features bi-weekly. Residents can email or Tweet their questions related to the RCMP on the Coast, and each week one question will be answered. Persons submitting questions will have their information kept anonymous, and questions may be paraphrased. Submit questions via email: [email protected] OR via Twitter: @COAST_RCMP.)
– Sunshine Coast RCMP
