It surprises me that in an increasingly
litigious society, our city departments expect members of the
public, both young and elderly, to climb snowbanks to feed
parking meters.
The other day I opted not to climb the
snowbank to feed the meter, which I was parked at for an hour
and a half, convinced that the meter officer, too, would
exercise common sense.
It was apparent to me that no one else had
ventured up the snow bank either, and I decided I wouldn't be
the one to blaze a trail.
So I gambled, took the risk and received a
parking ticket.
I contacted the city to discuss the issue,
stressing the fact that the meter was engulfed in snow. I was
told that the city could do nothing to revoke the ticket, that
it was the public works department's responsibility to remove
the snow.
I then asked, "If I would have fed the meter
and slipped and injured myself, who would be liable?" The
answer, "The City of Greater Sudbury, of course."
I was told that the only option for me was to
choose to appear in court and plead my case, a process that
would consume, at the very least, a half a day. Consider the
ramifications of a civil suit that could arise as a result of
injury; versus the cost of exercising common sense, and the
city passing up the opportunity to pocket $10.
It is my hope that the city either ensure all
parking meters are easy to access, particularly for the sake of
our elderly population, or develop a protocol whereby meter
officers can exercise common sense if need be.
Sari Huhtala
Capreol