Parking in fire routes

Around us, a lot of people think it is acceptable to part their vehicle in a fire route and go into an apartment building. The going into the building isn’t just to buzz to let someone know that they have arrived, they go up with groceries, other deliveries and maybe even to have dinner. Yes, the parking in the fire route can last from just a couple of minutes to hours. I have decided that it would be fun to sit and time how long some cars park in the fire route in a neighbouring apartment. The fire route is rather large and yes there is lots of room for people to think they can park and go up to a unit for an extended period.

What is nice to see is that this fire route is finally getting parking enforcement visits, and they are getting tickets for being parked. I think the parking enforcement could visit multiple times a day and continue to give out tickets. I did try and look up the cost of a parking ticket in a fire route and the last cost I found was from 2013, and it was $250. Maybe if people learned that it was a high cost to leave their vehicles, maybe they wouldn’t behave like they do.

Here are some of the fun times that I was able to capture.

July 6/23

• 6:35 pm white car parks in fire route 7:40 pm driver returns to vehicle and finally leaves.
• 7:28 pm black car parks in fire route, I decide to come inside at 11:30 pm and the car was still parked in the same spot.
• 7:33 pm white SUV parks in fire route 8:10 pm driver back at car and finally leaves.
• 7:34 pm green car park in fire route but driver in vehicle, 7:43 pm vehicle leaves.

July 7/23

• 6:21 pm grey car parks in fire route, 6:37 pm gets ticket for being parked with no driver in the vehicle, 7:16 finally leaves.
• 6:45 pm red car parks in fire route, 7:03 pm finally leaves.
• Other vehicles are only there for less than 5 minutes, so not as much fun timing them, but they did what was right.
  

I decided to try and track how long some of the vehicles were parked in the fire route, just to see how much the time varies. It is frustrating to watch because even when the fire alarm goes off and the fire vehicles arrive the cars don’t move, and sometimes the cars are trying to beat the fire vehicles into the entrance way and end up making it worse.

So please remember that a fire route isn’t for parking and going into buildings even for 5 minutes. Sure, you can go in and buzz to let people know you have arrived but then return to your vehicle so that if you need to more for emergency vehicles you are there and able to move it.