Ticket increases, new fines in bylaw changes

October 8, 2010

By Teri Rosenfelt

Changes to the University of Saskatchewan’s traffic bylaws, which regulate everything from parking to skateboarding on campus, will take effect November 1.

“The biggest change is probably to the price of tickets,” said Wendy Novakovski, bylaw prosecutor and office supervisor with Parking Services. “Most tickets will be based at a minimum of $50, up from $40, but the early payment will not change. Tickets will still be reduced to $10 or $25 for various offenses if paid within 14 days.”

After consultation and review by a number of different units on campus, the Board of Governors signed off on the new bylaws June 25 and the provincial Highway Traffic Board agreed to them August 27. The changes were published in the Saskatchewan Gazette, officially making them law, on September 10. However, the changes will not be enforced until November 1, giving Parking Services the opportunity to communicate the changes to the campus community.

“Our primary goals are to provide safe, accessible, appropriate, environmentally sustainable and economical parking,” said Judy Wall, manager of Parking Services. “The bylaws are the means that allow us to meet our goals.

“These bylaws have not been revised since the 70s,” added Wall. “We needed to update the language and update current technology and practice. We also needed to fill in the holes we were finding.”

Wall cites the forging of permits as an example of an area where the bylaws were lacking. Previously, the only recourse was charging the offender with fraud, which is a criminal conviction and may be too harsh, she said.

Now, forging permits carries a $250 fine. Those caught making or using a forged permit could also face further punishment through non-academic student discipline, and the option to charge with fraud still exists.

Leaving a pay parking lot without paying will also incur a $250 fine, as will lifting a gate or tampering with meters.

Other changes include the ability to immobilize or ‘boot’ a vehicle, in addition to towing. This bylaw would include out-of-province vehicles and would apply to anyone with outstanding tickets, said Novakovski. The term “bylaw” itself is also new and is the result of a provincial change. The bylaws were previously referred to as regulations.

The bylaws can be found in their entirety on the Parking Services website.