Parking fines cancelled after Kfar Saba residents protest

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Dozens and possibly hundreds of Kfar Saba residents who received parking tickets outside the city's new park over the Pessah holiday have been granted a reprieve by the city, reports www.local.co.il. The city agreed to cancel the fines after numerous residents complained that the city had not given them any warning that it was changing the parking restrictions in the area, and that they would either need to obtain residents' stickers for their windscreens or they would need to buy parking cards. According to the report, the city decided to paint the sidewalks in the car parks around the new park blue and white just before the Pessah. The restriction meant that residents with stickers on their windscreens could park free for an unlimited time, but those without stickers, and non-residents, needed to pay for their time. Many residents were apparently unaware of the new limitation and did not notice the new paintwork, and parking inspectors reportedly worked "around the clock" booking offenders. "It is not acceptable and not possible that the signs (for parking) are changed from one day to the next without any warning," one disgruntled resident said. A municipal spokesman said that in the wake of numerous complaints, the fines issued to residents during the holiday were being cancelled. The spokesman said the move to charge non-residents for parking stemmed from a decision by Mayor Yehuda Ben-Hemo to give residents priority in using the park. The spokesman said the city was now working to ensure that residents obtained stickers for their cars, and inspectors would begin enforcing the new parking restrictions at the park from May 1.