Confusing parking system gives drivers temporary ticket holiday

Drivers in downtown Calgary are getting a reprieve for their first parking violations under a new high-tech pay system that's causing widespread frustration.

Under the ParkPlus system, which replaces coin-operated meters downtown, each city block is split into zones, and one or two pay stations are placed on each block.

A driver must go to one of the machines andpunch in the zone where the vehicle is parked, the licence plate number, the time and the method of payment.

Many drivers have complained about confusion in locating a machine as well as the information required to pay for parking.

Because of that, the Calgary Parking Authority is waiving the fines for first-time parking violations under the new system, but safety violations and parking on private property will still be ticketed.

"This new system takes a couple of extra steps in terms of that first new approach to a way to pay for parking," Dale Fraser, the head of the parking authority, said Wednesday.

The one-time amnesty will be in effect until September 2008.

Fraser says the ParkPlus system will replace all downtown meters by next spring.