Just pay the meter
News
Posted By Jenn Watt
Posted 1 month ago
It's that age-old cliché: one bad apple spoils the bunch.
In this case, it's a mouldy, acrid motorist who parks his or her car on Main Street day after day, all day.
Or maybe there are a few.
It must be tempting: park on Highland Street, just steps away from amenities, work, restaurants and pay the low $5 fine. Maybe you have a bad day and the bylaw officer catches you twice: $10 for an entire day of prime parking.
The trouble with doing this – and some say it is a dedicated bunch who do it consistently – is that like the proverbial apple, they've spoiled it for everyone.
To deter this type of behaviour, the fines have doubled to $10, meaning for those of us who get caught in a lineup at the post office or drugstore with only a few minutes left on the meter, we could be hit for $10 instead of $5 because there are other people abusing the system.
At this point the fines aren't that substantial.
All it takes is a trip to Toronto and a misperceived parking sign to rack up a hefty fine and realize how good we have it in Haliburton paying a relatively miniscule $10.
But that doesn't change the fact that our fees are slowly creeping higher to deter a small number of people from abusing the system.
Let's hope those bad apples take the hint and hit the road.
An exercise in democracy
Whether you agree with county council's decision to keep Enduro bikes off the Rail Trail or not, you've got to notice and appreciate the truly democratic process that took place getting municipal government to vote on the topic.
It wasn't the usual smooth, laid-back, no-one-bothers-showing-up-to-watch type of county council meeting as is the usual fare at Minden's council chambers.
This was the kind of democracy that gets your hands dirty; roused by passion over our shared spaces, the public came out in a big way to influence council's decision.
They petitioned, they called, they wrote letters to the paper and on July 7 they crowded into the building on Newcastle Street to be part of a resolution that will make a difference.
To their credit, councillors also allowed themselves to be consumed with the politics of the Rail Trail – a touchy subject sure to upset as many people as are pleased with one's position – and to passionately defend their reasoning.
In the end, Enduros were banned from the trail (there is a faint hope vote on July 28, which is expected to simply reaffirm July 7 proceedings) and that will certainly displease a contingent of riders, but in the end what we saw leading up to county council's meeting was an inspiring example of government and democracy in motion, which is as reassuring as it is exciting.
