Moncton city council to address parking boot issue

City council is expectedto vote Mondayon whether to give a newcommittee the green light to look into Moncton's parking boot problems.

MonctonMayor Dawn Arnold isrecommending creation of the committee and hassent a letter to the province's union of municipalitiesaskingforsupport.

After she was elected in May, Arnold identifiedbooting as one of her top priorities.

"I think we'll get on that and [cut]the red tape," she said.

Booting is common practice inMoncton,where about two thirds of the private parking lots in the downtown area use a metal clamp, called a boot, to immobilize unauthorized vehicles, then chargethe owner a fee to have the device removed.

'It gives our city a bad name'

Anne Poirier Basque, executivedirectorofDowntownMoncton, says motorists have tounderstand they cannot park anywhere they choose.

"I don't think that you go to any city ...and decide that you're going to park wherever you want," she said.

"Bootingdoes give our city a bad name."

• DowntownMonctonpays for parking warnings in private lot

However, someMoncton residents saynot all the blame shouldfallon driversand that parking zones are sometimes unclear in thedowntown area of the city.

DowntownMonctonresponded to those complaints by installing larger signs in many of the private parking lots, but that's done little to appease the frustration of residents such as Stphane Lagacof Dieppe.

"I would agree to a ticket or something, give me a fine, but don't boot my car," he said.

And Monctonresident Mitchell Alexander says having to pay the fine on the spot can be difficult.

"It's kind of inconvenient that somebody on the spot has just to come up with $80, $160, whatever it is," he said.

A company that monitors 14private lots, Parking Solution Inc., says it willfight anyplans by the city to limit booting but declined to make further comment when contacted on Monday.