Moncton Mayor Says New Bylaw Would Curb ‘Wild West’ of Booting Cars
MONCTON – Visitors and citizens of Moncton can soon feel less afraid of having to pay high fees to booting companies if they accidentally park in places they shouldn’t.
The City Council passed the first reading of a by-law Monday that would require booting companies to obtain a $100-license, among other things. Prior to this, the practice was unregulated.
“It was a bit of a wild west,” said Mayor Dawn Arnold.
Anne Poirier Basque, the executive director of the Downtown Moncton Centre-ville, Inc., said she’s happy with the move. The private-sector-led non-profit organization has been working with the city and property owners for years to find a solution to booting, she said.
“Finally [businesses downtown] are going to say people aren’t afraid to come downtown and be booted because the signage is going to be better, they know what the fine is going to be if they do decide to park where they shouldn’t,” she said. “I think it’s going to be very positive for the downtown in general.”
Poirier Basque said the regulations are “well-balanced” for both vehicle owners and property owners. It also provides a clearer process to the practice, she said.
She noted that the requirement for proper signage is one of the key things in the by-law that would help visitors to downtown find the right parking spots.
“I’m hoping this will deter people from parking where they’re not supposed to,” she said. “So, I’m happy also for property owners, where they’re going to have more directions as well. It’s been annoying for them to have people parking in spots that are allocated to paying clients.”
Under the by-law, booting companies will have to provide a written notice on the windshield of the vehicle, explaining the reasons and the authority for immobilization, accept cash, debit or credit for payment, and provide a receipt. They also have to keep records of the vehicles they immobilize. Companies that don’t comply may have their licenses revoked.
The maximum immobilization fee will be set at $45, similar to a parking ticket and much lower than the $100-$160 booting companies charge. The by-law will also require workers of those companies to have a criminal record check and wear approved IDs.
Parking lots where booting occurs will also be required to display signs that meet city specifications, and immobilization will be restricted to certain parking areas, like spots for disabled persons.
“It’s a balance that we have to do because we also have to respect landowners in our downtown that have to have some sort of mechanism to be able to protect the land that they’re renting out to other people as well. So [the by-law] seemed to be a good compromise,” Mayor Arnold said.
Nick Robichaud, the City’s General Manager of Legal and Legislative Services, said companies will have a grace period to comply with the by-law. The length of that period hasn’t been determined yet, but it will likely be one or two months, he said.
Mayor Arnold said the move is “extremely important” in the lead-up to the opening of the Downtown Events Centre in the fall.
We have newcomers or tourists in our community from all over the place and it really leaves a bad taste in people’s mouth. So I think this will go a long way to helping that,” she said.
Poirier-Basque echoed the sentiment, saying the by-law would make people more aware of where they can park.
“We don’t want people to be booted when they’re going to the downtown centre and going to see a show. It just takes away from the fun stuff,” she said.
“Also it’s a good way to promote our on-street parking. There’s plenty of alternatives. It’s just sometimes people want to park right in front of the door and it’s not always where they should be parking.”
Robichaud said the move is made possible when the province passed the Local Governance Act, which took effect in January. The previous Municipalities Act didn’t allow the city to make similar changes.
“We now have extended by-law authorities to regulate businesses,” he said.
According to the DMCI website, at least 15 monitored parking lots downtown authorizes booting for illegally parked vehicles. In 2016, City Councillors Greg Turner and Bryan Butler completed a report on the controversial practice and presented recommendations to the council.
Mayor Arnold said she believes booting companies have been told about the upcoming by-law and hasn’t received any calls for or against the regulations. A second and third reading will be done on May 22, and the by-law will take effect shortly after.