Wine tour operator asks for review of parking regulations

The co-owner of a local wine tour says his company was ticketed by town bylaw staff twice on two consecutive days last month for something they’ve been doing on a daily basis for 15 years.  

Richard Mell from Grape Escape Wine Tours appeared as a delegate at Tuesday’s committee-of-the-whole general meeting asking for answers and potential changes when it comes to how his operation picks up and delivers patrons. 

He said the fines were given to drivers on two days in mid-June. One was while guests were being picked up at a short-term rental on Regent Street and the other when dropping off a group at a location on King Street.  

Neither have off-street parking, and are examples of places where the rules need to be amended, said Mell, to avoid a longstanding business being fined for pulling over on the side of the road to collect and return guests at their accommodations.  

He said the vehicles were not left unattended when the fines were given, and that this practice has “never been considered a problem” until recently.  

One of the incidents involved a 16-passenger chartered bus that has wheelchair-accessible features and is available on weekends.  

Mell said his concerns are related to accommodations that don’t have off-street parking.  

His company also has two 14-passenger Sprinters as part of their fleet.  

Town councillors voted in favour of asking staff to come back with a report on this issue, outlining what the rules are and how changes could be made that may relate to this matter.  

Interim chief administrative officer Bruce Zvaniga said there is a “balance” that needs to be considered, factoring what is stated in the Highway Traffic Act, while noting that buses holding less than 10 passengers are not held to the parking regulations the local company was hit with. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution,” he said.  

Fire Chief Jay Plato, who is also responsible for bylaw enforcement in town, echoed similar comments to Zvaniga’s, agreeing that the concerns raised by Mell could be addressed. “We can definitely look into what options are available,” said Plato.  

Coun. Wendy Cheropita asked if there have been similar incidents reported to the town, to which Plato said this was the first time this type of complaint has been filed with the municipality.  

Coun. Gary Burroughs was also in favour of a report outlining what the rules are.  “It appears like we’re penalizing people who are trying to help visitors to our town,” said Burroughs.  

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa also agreed this matter needs to be looked at further, noting that specialized transit vehicles may fall under the same guidelines, and that he doesn’t want to see them ticketed.  

A report back to local politicians is expected as early as September.