St. John's plans blue-zone parking crackdown

The City of St. John's may soon dramatically hike the fines slapped against drivers found illegally parking in blue spots reserved for disabled people.

Coun. Danny Breen says he supports a proposal that would see the fine skyrocket from $75 to $400.

"Unless there's a compelling reason not to, I think it's appropriate," said Breen, who chairs the city's finance committee.

"These parking spaces are designated for people who need these to gain access to buildings, and they are there for their use."

Residents approached by CBC News liked the proposed increase, which goes before council at next Monday's regular meeting.

"I don't think anyone should be parking in those disabled places unless you have the permit and you need to be there," said Shane Howard.

"Put it up as much as you want because it doesn't matter to me — I would never park there."

Dave Clark thinks hiking the fee by more than 500 per cent will make able-bodied drivers think twice.

"I think that'll be a good deterrent. You take your risks, you take your chances and you pay the fine. "

Meanwhile, council is planning to hike its regular fines at parking meters. The basic charge for not feeding a meter will jump from $15 to $25.

Breen said the extra cash from fines will be used to resolve a crunch in the city core.

"It's not money that will go directly into the city's coffers," he said. "It's money that's designated to go back into solving or addressing some of the parking issues downtown."