A Toronto-area man says he plans to fight a parking ticket he received for parking on his own property.
Kazi Islam said he was recently issued a $75 parking ticket for parking his SUV partially on the front lawn of his home in Brampton, Ont., located northwest of Toronto.
“I still can’t believe that I got a ticket for parking on my own driveway,” he told CTV Toronto on Monday. “This is ridiculous. This is totally ridiculous.”
For more than 10 years, Islam said he’s been parking his vehicle on an angle on his paved front walkway with one wheel on the front of his lawn. He said he’s never received any complaints about his parking in the past.
That is, until he was handed a $75 ticket for parking, standing, or stopping in an “unauthorized area.” Islam said he’s still unclear as to why he was fined.
“There is no valid reason,” he said. “I’m entitled to park my car in my driveway.”
A spokesperson for the City of Brampton said in an emailed statement that Islam was given the ticket because “enforcement officers found a vehicle was parked on a large portion of the grass area (landscape) at this property… The By-Law prohibits parking of vehicles on the landscaped area of properties, both public and private.”
Islam, on the other hand, said he should be able to park however he wants on his own property.
“It’s my private property. It’s my own driveway. I paid for it,” he said.
Islam said he plans to challenge the ticket out of concern that he’ll be fined again in the future for parking that way.
The Brampton spokesperson said the city’s parking rules are similar to other municipalities and they’re designed for the safety and upkeep of the community. This year alone, the City of Brampton has already received more than 250 similar parking complaints.
