Vancouver cracking down on PNE parking ritual

Parking around the Pacific National Exhibition, which opens on Saturday, could be harder to come by this year.

The City of Vancouver plans to crack down on residents selling too many spaces in their yards, a tradition, like mini-doughnuts and cotton candy, that is almost as old as the PNE itself.

The city has sent out letters to homeowners, warning they will be fined if they permit too many cars to park on their property.

"If folks are parking too many vehicles in their rear yard than what they are permitted, they would be charged accordingly," spokeswoman Barb Windsor said.

Windsor said the number of cars allowed depends on the size of the lot, but the average is three cars.

Fines start at $500, Windsor said.

The news is a welcome relief for McGill Street resident David Bornman and his neighbours. 

"We are so happy that the city is finally doing something about the parking situation in our neighbourhood," Bornman said. "It's been a real detraction from the neighbourhood and the property values for a long, long time.

"At every corner, on every side street, there's somebody jumping out, waving a sign saying $5, $6 — park here, park here. It's just a real zoo."

Bornman said bylaws regulating parking "have been in place for a long time and this year they're finally going to enforce it and we're thrilled."

In another development, Vancouver police are targeting a less savoury PNE tradition: car theft.

Police will be planting so-called "bait cars" in a two-block radius surrounding the exhibition grounds. The cars contain gear that records the theft and transmits the information to officers who can stop the crime in progress.

The technology is akin to having hundreds of extra police officers on the streets checking for stolen vehicles, Vancouver police Sgt. Gord Elias said.