Yes, I was livid. For three days. My motorcycle was towed.
It was parked in front of my own house, in a residential parking zone, with a residential parking permit, and riding insurance. I thought I was doing everything right. Apparently, I was wrong.
Unbeknownst to me, there’s a 14-day parking bylaw. If my vehicle hasn’t moved for more than 14 days, it can be reported – even if it’s parked legally, in front of my own house, in a residential parking zone, with a residential parking permit, and riding insurance. I thought I was doing everything right.
A bylaw officer was called by a neighbour, photographed my bike over a 14-day period, and confirmed it hadn’t moved. And down it came.
I called the City.
“What am I supposed to do if I go on vacation for two weeks?”
“You can give your keys to someone and they can move it for you.”
O… kay… Except I’m pretty sure I’m the only biker on my street, and I don’t exactly have a roster of people waiting to come move my motorcycle while I’m on holidays.
But here’s the part that really got me. Moving my motorcycle didn’t create a parking space. It was sitting in a tiny, residents-only slice of a spot. Removing it didn’t suddenly make enough room for another car. It didn’t improve traffic flow. It didn’t make the neighbourhood safer. It just meant my bike was gone. And after someone complained that it had been sitting there too long, it certainly felt personal.
But here’s the irony. My partner and I already have the maximum two residential parking permits. I actually fought the City to let me PAY for a third one specifically for my motorcycle, so I could tuck it into that little residents-only space and leave more room in the guest zone. I wasn’t trying to take more. I was trying to make space for everyone else. I was trying to be a good neighbour. And that, more than the tow or the financial sting, is what stayed with me.
Because most of us are just trying to navigate the world without being a pain in the ass to the people around us. We try to follow the rules. We try to make room for others. We try to do the right thing – even when nobody is watching.
And sometimes, despite our best intentions, something goes sideways. So yes, I was pissed. For three days. But eventually I had to let it go. My motorcycle got towed. I survived. She’s back home undamaged. And honestly, it wasn’t a bad life. It was just a really, really bad day.
Tomorrow, I’ll carry on. Because being a good neighbour isn’t about recognition. It’s about continuing to try.
And what feels like life’s biggest inconvenience might just be the universe saving me from dying that day… I was about to go for a ride.