Blogger

Brandon Sun - ONLINE EDITION

The most illegally parked-in spot in Brandon?

Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 at 3:14 PM | Comments: 0

Because both I and my girlfriend work downtown, I spend a lot of time in Brandon's core area. It ain't perfect, but there are loads of great little quirks and I keep discovering new ones.

One of those quirks popped up when the city started its traffic loop experiment in the summer.

Ninth Street and 10th Street were converted to complementary one-way streets (one northbound, one southbound) so that drivers could drive round-and-round in a circle that included Princess Avenue and Pacific Avenue.

As I posted back then, an inadvertant side-effect of the new streets was that, for the first time in Brandon, two one-way streets would intersect at a lights-controlled intersection. And that means that left-turns on red would be allowable.

The city installed signs at the affected intersections making this clear.

They also installed a couple of other signs, outside the Scotiabank downtown.

Because drivers heading down Rosser Avenue can legally turn left on red at 10th Street, the city installed a turning lane where there wasn't one before.

To do that, they took the loading zone outside of the bank, and turned about a third of it into a no-stopping zone. That's the turning lane for Rosser Avenue onto 10th Street.

However, I don't think it's ever been used.

I drive past there almost every single day, often several times a day, and I would guess that 99 per cent of the time, there's a car parked in that no stopping zone. (I also see plenty of people turning left from the driving lane, but when there's a car parking in the turning lane, well, I understand.)

So today, as I was driving past, I see a car backing in to park in the no-stopping zone and I think, "OK, this time I'm snapping a picture, and I'm blogging about this -- I'll bet it's the spot in the city that is illegally parked in the most!"

I pulled over to the opposite side of the street (in another bank's loading zone) and drew my iPhone. As traffic cleared, I got the shot framed, and what to my wondering eyes did appear?

A bylaw officer! So I got a picture of her patiently explaining the no-stopping signs to the driver:

It won't win me any photography awards, I know, but I had to catch it before more traffic got in the way.

It was pretty great, by the way, to see the bylaw officer go out of her way to catch up to the driver and point out the signs to him. That's a heck of a lot better than getting a $120 parking ticket!

So what do you think? Am I right that this is the most illegally parked-in spot in the city? Can you think of any other candidates?

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.