Ignorance of a somewhat obscure bylaw won’t get you out of a parking ticket, according to the City of Burnaby.

Forest Grove resident John Bathurst said he was surprised when both of his adult son’s vehicles were ticketed recently.

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“It seems to be completely out of the blue,” he said.

The tickets were issued because the vehicles were parked on the street for longer than 24 hours without being moved. Bathurst said he has since learned of the local bylaw requiring owners to move their vehicles once a day.

The tickets each came with a $40 fine, if paid within two weeks. It’s an unexpected expense for Bathurst’s who is a small business owner who hasn’t budgeted for vehicle storage fees somewhere else, Bathurst said.

Bathurst said he also noticed a ticket for the same infraction issued to a neighbour.

For 31 years, Bathurst said he has been parking his vehicle on the street for longer than 24 hours – even for as long as a week when he went on vacation.

The city’s supervisor of parking enforcement, John Parkins, said the 24-hour restriction applies across the city and is enforced “almost daily” in Burnaby.

“It's to prevent people from parking their vehicles for an excessive amount of time,” Parkins said.

Enforcement is generally prompted by a complaint from a nearby resident, he said.

Parkins said he understands that people aren’t always aware of the bylaws but the onus is on them to learn the rules.

He said Forest Grove has minimal parking and its streets aren’t meant to be used as long-term storage.