The company that wrote 17 so-called "wheels not cut" tickets earlier this week in Dartmouth, N.S., was told by the city two months ago to stop handing out fines for such violations unless there were serious safety concerns.

"It was in late May that we started conversations with the company to say: 'Look, that type of ticket isn't something that we really want you focusing on,'" said Brendan Elliott, spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Although the instructions were clear, parking enforcement officers from G4S Secure Solutions continued writing the tickets, including 17 issued in one day this week.

The tickets were written when a vehicle was found in violation of Section 160(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act, which states the front wheels of a parked vehicle must be turned on "any perceptible grade."

A 'wheels not cut' parking ticket issued on Portland Street in Dartmouth, N.S. (Michele Merrick)

Turning the wheels into the curb when parking on a hill is commonly taught in driver training schools and acts as a safety measure. If a vehicle's transmission and brakes should fail, it will simply roll into the curb and stop.

17 tickets cancelled this week

Elliott said all 17 tickets issued this week for "wheels not cut" violations have been cancelled.

"The officer who issued those tickets has advised us that he would like to have them cancelled," Elliott said.

The communications between city officials and G4S began after a resident of Faulkland Street complained.

Patrick Kelly told CBC News he had been parking the same way on the sloped street outside his house for the past 14 years. One day in May, he noticed that each parked car on the street had been given a ticket for not turning their wheels.

"The whole thing still drives me nuts," he said in an email.

Example of vehicles parked on a hill; the white car's wheels are 'cut in,' while the blue car's wheels are not. (Brett Ruskin/CBC News)

Kelly contacted city officials including his councillor, Waye Mason.

Mason confirms that an email was sent to him from Andrea MacDonald, a manager in Halifax's transportation department.

"Relative to the 'cut in' tickets, we have advised the contractor to discontinue issuing tickets for that violation," wrote MacDonald.

Reminding contractor about city's priorities

This week, municipal officials reiterated their position to G4S — that tickets for this type of violation should only be issued if there are serious and legitimate safety concerns.

A representative from G4S responded to the situation via email, saying: "Our instructions are to follow the law. We may receive guidance from time to time from HRM on where to focus our activities, but we are relied upon to use our best judgement in the interest of public safety. We value our partnership with HRM."

City officials still recommend turning a vehicle's front wheels towards the curb when parking on a hill, regardless of whether a ticket is likely or not.