To the editor:
Kudos to Commerce Centre and Imperial Parking on their good job of managing the high demand for parking on a Sunday.
Our church members volunteer at the Kelowna Gospel Mission every second Sunday and there are usually six people parking where there is very limited space behind the Mission.
I was there on Sunday and parked behind the Commerce Centre as the parking lot was empty. I made the mistake of reading the sign that said Reserved Parking Monday-Saturday and thought it would be OK to park there as I have done previously, and didn’t read further to see “Paid Parking on Sundays.”
I’m not sure if this is a recent change as I do not ever remember seeing that there before.
After working all afternoon in the Gospel Mission kitchen I came out to find a parking ticket on my windshield. The patroller could have easily taken 30 seconds to walk across to the back door of the Mission and advise us that there was a vehicle that was going to be ticketed if it wasn’t moved out of the ot, as the Mission is the only facility open on a Sunday within more than a block radius. But instead he slapped a $35 parking ticket, not a warning, on the windshield of the only car in the lot, patted himself on the back for a job well done and went on his way.
It certainly cast a pall on the good feeling of having performed a community service. I will certainly know better next time not to take up that precious parking space in the empty lot without paying.
Whoever has invited Imperial Parking to Kelowna has done a huge disservice to the community and to tourism in our town as they are relentless in their pursuit of issuing tickets to anyone and everyone they can.
There’s a fine line between doing your job and being overly zealous.
I have been trying to call their Vancouver office all morning and have not been able to get through “due to the high volume of calls.” Probably more happy parkers calling.
B. Jarvis,
Kelowna
