Calgary Parking Authority

Out and out liars. Gave me a ticket for being an hour over allotted time, which is simply not true. I was running late for an appointment and just happened to note the exact time I parked. 10:25 am. Ticket was issued at 10:48am. They claim my tires were chalked at 9:40 am which is physically impossible because I was still at home at that time! But even through an appeal I am guilty because I can’t prove I’m innocent, but the idiot that issued the ticket gets taken at his word. I would grudgingly pay this if I did it. BUT I didn’t, so its the principle of it that irks me! But I guess that doesn’t matter. I have to wonder how often people get zinged like this? So now do I go to court over a $ 40 ticket or avoid the hassle and just pay it? Probably most people pay it.

I caught myself about to give them a 5-​star, hey, I believe in karma lol.
But seriously, they’ve got their sh*t together. Back home, we use the phone system as each meter in between 2 cars have a 5 digit code, versus Calgary’s wider options: phone, pay by license, text, and that scan code. And no cash: no way for the city to grab your $ when the meter’s defective.
What impressed me the most, is the keyboard dims at night so you can see what you’re entering, plus every station has literally a lamplight on top too, so easier to find.
And printing out the receipt is slick.
Yes, parking is apparently the most expensive in Canada, and top 5 in North America but it works. Plus the fact that it’s a write off lol.
Bonus though, is the CITY offers free battery boost and flat tire services! Well, guess you’re paying for it any case but back home, only the private operators will do this. Not Vancouver city hall.

I agree with Heather in that nobody ‘likes’ paying for parking. But, I dont MIND paying for *reasonable* parking.
The one star is for the underhand and cheap way, either calgary road planners or in conjunction with CPA, decide to make previous free roads, chargeable. More on this later.
I have no issues with getting tickets if its my own dumbass fault for being well over time or what have you on the 9^th ave lot or whatever, I just chalk it up to the cost of doing business.
I also have no issues with the fact that parking is controlled downtown. After all, if it wasnt a paid system, with time limits maximum, people would park there 24 hours a day 365 and their would be no fair turn a bouts for different folks. I get that.
What is irksome is the high pricing. I wouldn’t mind a buck 50 an hour, MAX in some areas.
I also have no issue with the CPA staff, public facing and behind the scenes. They are all doing their jobs, and following orders, somewhat like the poor little german recruit fighting for the Nazis, he’s doing it for a paycheque. They know its a distasteful exercise, and the parking resi permit ladies are nice enough.
I’m sure the parking wardens (thats what we call em in Europe) a good half of them are decent fair minded people. However there’s probably a good minority who are little hitlers.
Eg, getting two tickets, one for ‘being in a fire hydrant zone’ and ‘being within 1.5m of a driveway.
The first one, funny that, they removed the original sign so one has no idea where it used to be, UNLESS you know where the original bolt holes in the sidewalk are. I do, and took photos. I was behind that on the legal side and ticket was thrown out.
The other one? Fair cop, I was within 1.5m of a driveway, a multilevel parkade entrance. Where people frequently park, and there’s still loads of room for cars to pull out. I was just the unlucky one, either getting clobbered by a jobsworth warden or someone bitched.
So either ticket everyone by the entrance every day, or dont do it at all.
You never knew that huh? Yep. You have to park a min of 1.5m away from a driveway, either residential or commercial. How to make sure? Its one standard concrete panel (1m wide I believe) and the part of the sidewalk that slopes down level for an entrance. As long as you are clear away of that, the MAN can’t get you.
So what’s this about Calgary Roads and CPA doing the formerly free now paid switcheroo? Well. Remember before crowfoot LRT got finished? It was unrestricted parking all day every day, on both sides from the back of Northwest Acura all the way to the ford dealership opposite Mcdonalds. Here:

Im sure a real blessing for folk working there.
As soon as the LRT was finished, and the paid parking lot was up and running at the LRT, either time/​paid or restrictions poles were put up all the way along the road.
Can’t have working stiffs not using the paid parking at the LRT now can we? Although Im sure it was a complete coincidence, and it was done for ‘safety’ and ‘traffic flow’.
Right. Much like sleeping policemen/​traffic bumps/​rat run cut offs (16^th ave stretch heading eastbound towards deerfoot) and 40kph limits crop up like fast spreading warts on residential areas and roads that just happen to have some of the richest voters because the poor muffins dont like other peoples cars driving on ‘their’ roads they pay for through gas taxes.
Complete coincidence, must be.

No ones like paying for parking, especially me. Seriously, who’s going to wax poetic about any institution when the main form of interaction or communications with them is a parking ticket? Not me.
So why the hell have I given them 4 stars?
Let’s start with the good. ParkPlus IS a better system than parking meters for a couple of reasons — ease of credit card payments (no Amex though, tsk tsk) cellphone accounts are awesome and they’ve just introduced text to park. I like. A lot.
I usually pay for parking as part of a professional meeting of some sort so I guess I’m not *really* paying for it. But, when the tickets arrive (and they do) I AM paying for it.
Honestly, I’m a little boozy as I write this review and everything seems rosier, but let’s face it, any time I can use technology to make my life easier (including parking) I’m a fan.

I got my car towed for the first time in my life a few days ago and was charged $ 100 which covered three areas: administration, the ticket, and towing itself. I’ll be ripping a new one in each said area.
Administration:
–Walking into the impound lot to pick up you car is a surreal experience. You walk in, a grumpy person talks to you. You wait. Another grumpy person takes you to your car to get your belongings to should you own the car. You talk to another grumpy person who doesn’t enjoy light-​hearted jokes. And another grumpy person takes you to your car and tells you to get out of their house. I know customer service doesn’t have to be the most pleasant here in a way the atmosphere of everyone ensures the impound lot would be the last place a Unilocal Elite event would ever take place in.
Ticket:
–This ticket is ridiculous, period. Even right now as I’m pondering paying this $ 36 wallet eater I think about how I got there in the first place. My car was 25% towards the parking zone and was only there for 2 hours before it got towed. I parked several blocks down 17^th ave in a street that time forgot. This aggravation is definately 1^st world problem level.
Towing:
–Seriously a week ago I noticed how efficient the towing system is downtown to the degree that it’s laughable. Tow truck after tow truck picking up cars in wrong zones in an endless sequence. Seriously take a walk down 10ave DT and you’ll know what I’m talking about. I posted a picture of the diagram the guy drew on my ticket to justify why he should tow me and get his commission of the night (if thats how things work, I don’t care, whatever). No I don’t operate a penis (that’s what she said)
So thanks Calgary Parking, I’m really squeezing value of experience from getting towed. I now take my penis car and drive into the traffic lot of people who also have a huge distaste towards you.

Parking rates are too high in Calgary. The patrol stalks you and pounces the moment you leave your car. $ 60 parking ticket? Is that really necessary? Good thing the head honcho got bagged recently. But, will the parking situation in Downtown Calgary ever improve? You get one star for your fancy new machines, CPA, but even more knocked off for your bad attitude, buggy machines, and high parking rates.

The ParkPlus System Cell Phone Account is the bomb. Why it took me so long to sign up for this is beyond me, but I guess you don’t know what you don’t know.
The day I activated my account was the day I had a meltdown with the ParkPlus System Pay Machine. I was downtown, the weather was below 30 degrees with the howling wind ripping between the office buildings and I was trying to use my Visa to pay for parking. The machine was frozen so I walked ¾ of a block to another one. It too was frozen and then, so was my heart. I was so angry and cold that I just kept going and never did pay for parking. Even the authorities weren’t driving that morning I’m sure, because I was lucky enough to not get a ticket. Upon returning home, I activated my cell phone account and all was well with the world.
No more fussing in bad weather, no more waiting for the confused ParkPlus System newbie and no more overpaying!

I have mixed feelings about CPA.
First of all the pros. It seems to be a well thought out system; the parking stands marked numerically, there is no paper work involved simply an entering of your license plate which then gets computerised somewhere in CPA cosmos. They seem to be easy to find, you have an option of using change or your credit card, which is convenient.
I have received parking retributions in the mail, a photo of my lovely SUV and the appropriate time to pay which I think is clever, although there should be a 10 minute loading zone by this post office where I went to pick up a package and I don’t agree with paying $ 2.50 do to that, but whatever, I paid the $ 40.00 repercussion.
So great diligence on parking surveillance team, photos were clear and I believe there were even two angles.
When I went down to pick up a parking pass for my residence, folks there were both pleasing friendly and humorous and I was able to get my sticker and a guest pass at no cost.
Cons, what’s with these atrocious parking prices, are we in Toronto or New York for that matter? Why must I pay 5.00 an hour to go to Chinatown or to Eau Claire market to see a movie? I am already paying 13.00 for the movie itself, so my movie outing is over 23.00?
And why are these parking stalls never working, change is always jammed up in the change slot, and they are more often out of order than working. When I call an attendant, I get a machine so I am left to make a rapid decision of should I not pay here at this stall or risk the $ 40 I will get in the mail simply because of a computer malfunction? Why isn’t there diligence on parking stall maintenance, can they transfer some of the great organised energy form surveillance to keeping these stalls up to par. After all 5.00 an hour, aren’t we paying more than enough to actually own one of these?
Last but not least, why doesn’t City Hall know where the CPA is? No one at information, nor at city planning has any idea nor phone number as to where to pay for parking fines, get permits etc. I believe I was handed a number by some passerby working at the business permits area who overheard my conversation.
Okay this is the end of my official rant on Calgary Parking Authority.