Parking

I received an email from a disgruntled reader complaining about a motorist who blocked a large portion of a sidewalk when reverse parking their truck which was equipped with a trailer hitch. It's certainly not very neighbourly, and this person wondered if there was anything on the books making the practice illegal.

Imagine the surprise of the motorist at a collision I once investigated. He parked at the side of the road, opened his door, and a passing car tried to tear it off! It's a good thing he didn't step out while he opened the door.

Question: I am a driving student, and I am interested to know what the law is with respect to parking near a bus stop. Sometimes there is a bus stop sign as well as a "no stopping before this point" sign about 5 meters after. Other times there is only the bus stop sign. In the latter case, how much space must legally be left between the rear of your car and the bus stop sign?

Question: I reside in Vancouver and there is a resident (female) in my building, who has a disabled parking pass hanging from her vehicle mirror....The problem that I have with this, is that the permit was for her former husband, who was disabled, and passed away about 2 years ago.

When we lived in Penticton we would often go to the beach after dinner, parking on Lakeshore Drive. This was nose in angle parking on the lake side of the two way street. If you were lucky enough to find a spot, parking was easy. However, leaving could be a problem, especially if something big was parked to your right.

There's nothing like a bit of extreme weather to create problems for snow removal equipment. All that snow has to be pushed somewhere in order clear the streets for drivers. Vehicles parked on those streets can present a problem.

When shopping at our local Country Grocer, please stop being 'courteous' by blocking the lane in while waiting for people to back out of their spots.

The case of involves a collision that occurred on Centre Street between Pacific and Royal Avenues in White Rock. The combination of no driver's side mirror, parking too closely and not paying attention combined to cause trouble.

Travelling on a budget was likely behind a request for information that I received about camping beside the highway. The correspondent was curious to know if there are any rules in BC that would stop someone from camping on the side of the highway overnight.

Parking, stopping or standing, what's the difference and why is it important to you as a driver? Recognizing these road signs and knowing what is allowed and what isn't with regard to these three situations can mean the difference between your convenience and being ticketed and towed for ignoring or mistaking them.