Some rules of the road are self-explanatory—don't speed, don't drive under the influence, don't operate four devices while driving—they're all clearly in place for our safety.
Other rules however appear to be arbitrary and are further complicated when there are exceptions. Nowhere is this more evident than in parking.
Parking is regulated by the City of Vancouver's Street and Traffic By-law which outlines who can leave their vehicle where and for how long.
But not everyone understands or obeys the intricacies of parking laws. One Vancouverite took to Twitter to complain about a ride share parked in a bike lane while another questioned whether service vehicles could park facing the wrong direction.
The city doesn't accept parking enforcement-related issues via social media, largely because they are often time-sensitive but people can call 311 if they have a question or concern.
V.I.A. reached out to the city to ask about the rules of parking on the street facing the wrong direction and in an emailed statement a spokesperson clarified that "you must park headed in the direction of traffic. This is for safety reasons so that when you are pulling in/out you are not driving into oncoming traffic."
However, there are exemptions for emergency vehicles, public utility vehicles, and wrecking vehicles such as tow trucks when they are actively engaged in work that requires them to stop and/or park in contravention of such by-laws.
In the now-deleted Tweet, a Vancouverite posted a photo of a dump truck facing the wrong way on 8th and Fir which the city said is not traditionally considered a service vehicle.
In this case, a call to 311 would be warranted.
As for the ride-share, the disgruntled citizen says in the Twitter thread, there "needs to be a better approach for vehicles for hire—they rely on playing the odds with these violations, even more than most motorists."
