The Editor,
Re: "Where the streets have no space," the Now, March 18.
In my opinion, the City of Surrey should really consider the following to help solve the parking mess that has been created:
Issue two parking permits per household and a third one to homes with a registered legal suite or coach home. That way the people who have three cars themselves, a friend living with them that brings an additional car and the basement tenants two cars, would have to find a way to work within the limits of three permits, not six. Perhaps actually using their doublecar garage for vehicles would be an option.
Paint actual stalls, just like metered parking, so that those lazy people or perhaps people who just don't know how to parallel park, can't position themselves right in the middle of what would have been two stalls. Require all those with their trucks and work trailers to display a parking permit on their truck and another one on their trailer, as many of these actually take up 2.5 stalls.
Consider alcove parking along the side of parks. A grassy boulevard really isn't necessary when there is a full city block of park area, which is almost all grass on the other side of the sidewalk. Move the boulevard tress into the park and leave the sidewalk curbside. A tree on each side of the fire hydrant would still add to the look that the boulevard provided.
Have the parking authorities actually get out of their cars and mark the tires of those cars that they notice are in the same spot day after day after day. The bylaw allows for 72 hours not over 30 days, which is how long I've seen cars just sit there.
Glen Sayers, Cloverdale