Calgary's most-ticketed parking zones: Top 20 spots for violations
Scroll down to see an interactive map depicting which blocks saw the most citations in 2015
Ever wonder which of the city-patrolled parking zones around Calgary generate the most tickets? We have a map for that.
Amanda Hehr's store is located in the number-one most ticketed zone.
The owner of Cru Juice — located at 816 16th Ave. S.W., in the Mount Royal Village retail plaza — didn't know her block saw the most parking violations in the city last year, but said it makes sense.
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"I do know that they loop around here really often," she said, referring to the camera-covered vehicle of the Calgary Parking Authority that patrol the city, photographing licence plates.
The registered owners of vehicles found to be in violation of parking rules then receive tickets in the mail.
Zone 4434 generated a total of 864 tickets last year — the most in the city.
On mobile? Go to this interactive map which shows the 20 most ticketed zones. You can zoom in, scroll around and click to see more detail.
Calgary Parking Authority general manager Mike Derbyshire said the number of tickets issued depends entirely on the number of people who break the rules.
He said it's a myth that the parking authority targets certain areas more than others with its photo-enforcement vehicles.
"We've got six vehicles. They run on pre-programmed routes during the course of a day," Derbyshire said. "The routes are scheduled, but the violators — the people who don't pay — are totally random."
The fine for a parking ticket is $40 if you pay within the first 10 days, $50 if you pay within a month, and $75 after that.
'We don't like sending people tickets in the mail'
"We would much rather have people pay for their parking like they're supposed to than have to issue a ticket," Derbyshire said.
"Frankly, we don't like writing tickets and we don't like sending people tickets in the mail, but that's the only tool we have to ensure that people actually pay as they're required to pay."
Hehr said she's not bothered by the enforcement.
"If you pay for parking, you don't get a ticket," she said. "The times where I get ticketed it's just when I forget that it's lapsed."
One thing she wished the parking authority would change, however, is the method of payment.
"I use the app and I find it's OK, but there's a few things that they could improve on for sure," she said.
"Like, when you're leaving, it doesn't have a geotag to tell you you're leaving the area and ask if you would like to cancel your parking sessions. So I find that you really overpay for parking, and it's already expensive."
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