WITH apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan, we imagine that a bylaw officer's lot is not a happy one.
The frontline of municipal enforcement requires a thick skin, the patience of Job and the tact of Solomon.
As if the job wasn't challenging enough, the District of West Vancouver is allowing its officers to enforce parking bylaws the general population knows nothing about.
Anyone see a recipe for bad publicity or unnecessary confrontation here?
Apparently, clause 8.18.2 of the municipal Traffic and Parking Bylaw prohibits a driver from parking in the same block more than once in a 24-hour period. We say apparently because it was impossible to read the regulation on the municipal website on either a Mac or a PC in our newsroom Friday afternoon. We don't know if the law applies 24/7 or merely during the posted time of parking restrictions. We don't know if the law applies throughout the municipality or only on blocks with restricted parking.
More to the point, neither do West Vancouver residents.
A visitor to West Vancouver last year received a parking ticket for parking on a block with a solid yellow centre line and was told by the ticketing officer she had no case for appeal. That's another bylaw that is not posted on the website.
Compounding the issue is the fact that appealing these tickets to the new traffic court won't get offenders anywhere - according to West Van's bylaw office.
That might be good advice, but it smacks of cop, judge and executioner.
