Parking limits at Dallas Road to be enforced following complaints

Advocacy group concerned over parking enforcement A local advocacy group says handing out tickets to people who park their vehicles overnight along Dallas Road will not solve the issue.

VICTORIA — People living in Fairfield are happy with the City of Victoria's recent decision to enforce parking limits along Dallas Road.

Those who live near the popular seaside park say they are frustrated with people sleeping in cars and "abusing parking limits."

"It is not fair to everyone else; it comes at an expense to everyone too," said Janice Williams, who lives in Fairfield and started a petition to have the overnight campers removed. "It really is freeloading."

As of Monday afternoon, almost 600 people had signed the online petition which cites leftover garbage and an increase in property crime as the reasons why petitioners want the bylaw enforced.

However, people who park their vans along Dallas Road say the problem isn't them. The overnight campers say it is frustrating for people to point fingers when there are a number of people who camp in the park without vehicles.

On Monday, a group of people who live in their vans are meeting with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps to discuss the bylaw, and have invited frustrated residents to join in on the conversation.

"I think we have to think big picture and ask the question, 'How can we all be happy?'" said Jasper Sunshine, someone who parks their van overnight in the area.

"If they move us from Dallas Road we are just going to go somewhere else."

Helps has said before that enforcing the bylaw will not solve the problem and is hoping the federal government will release funding to build more housing.

But for some, living in a van, is a choice, and they hope the city will develop new regulations that serve everyone.