Taxis and parking enforcement officers face off on Spring Garden Road
There's a battle brewing on Spring Garden Road, where cab drivers who stop at a coveted taxi stand say they're being targeted by parking enforcement officers.
Some of the drivers are knowingly breaking the rules, but they say common sense should prevail in the heated dispute.
At the heart of the matter is the taxi stand outside of Park Lane Mall, where there's room for two taxis to pull over and wait for fares. But there are often several more cabs lined up.
The drivers say the demand in the location is the highest in the city and they should be allowed to wait.
"We need help and nobody's helping us except giving us tickets," said Doug Covin, who has driven a taxi for decades.
"We don't have enough stands in the city around busy areas where people need taxis."
There was a request by the taxi industry to the city's traffic authority a few years ago to expand the taxi stand, but it was turned down.
"We have to accommodate for a mix of parking on that street, including loading zones, taxi stands, and a balance on street parking for other vehicles as well," said Tiffany Chase, a spokeswoman for the city.
Chase said there are two stands nearby where the drivers could wait if the Park Lane location is full.
But Covin argues there's lots of room on Spring Garden to allow more taxis, and it costs drivers money to keep circling the block waiting to see if there's space available at the stand.
"You're spending too much gas so you're losing money."
A number of drivers argue their presence helps with safety in the area. Many of their customers are seniors who are going to medical appointments nearby, they say.
Tickets questioned
What's added fuel to the fire is the actions of a parking enforcement officer on Tuesday who issued two tickets to drivers parked at the stand after the overnight storm.
The first driver, Ali Roshani, said he was in the second position when the officer came up from behind and placed the ticket on his windshield. He said she told him he was too far back, and not completely in the limits of the stall.
Roshani argues he was there because of a large snowbank, and for safety reasons he didn't want his customers climbing over it.
"The name of the game is to make sure the public is happy," he said. "Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"
A second driver, Vi Tram, came to his defence. His vehicle was in the first position. Moments later, he was told he would receive a ticket for not having his taxi light on in the daytime.
"Twenty-four-hour storm," said Tram. "We come out to work. We don't come out to get a ticket."
Chase said the city has received a formal complaint about the actions of an enforcement officer on Tuesday, and the city will follow up with the company that has the enforcement contract.
In the meantime, taxis will have to make another request to get the rules changed at the taxi stand.
"If you continue to break that rule, you certainly would be receiving a ticket," she said.
On Wednesday, Roshani received another ticket for being the third vehicle in line. He said he has dozens, if not hundreds.
"This is the price we pay to make a living in this city."
