Ross Bayley thought he was doing the right thing when he left his car at work after drinking a few glasses of wine over dinner.

But to Bayley's surprise when he returned to his car at 8 a.m. the next morning, he found a $75 ticket on his windshield after parking his car in a city-run parking lot in downtown Newmarket on Botsford St. near Main St.

"I was so annoyed I marched right over to city hall and told them I was being a responsible person by not driving home. They reduced the ticket to $50, but I told them they should reduce it to zero or I'll fight it in court and they wouldn't, so I'm going to fight it in court," Bayley said of the ticket he received in April.

"CASH COW"

Bayley, who owns the Theatre On Main, says Newmarket needs to change its parking enforcement bylaws to allow overnight parking in parking lots and town streets downtown.

"I could understand being fined a few dollars, but the size of the ticket is just a cash cow," Bayley said.

Statistics show the town of Newmarket has issued 1,282 tickets this year for violating the three-hour parking limit.

Mayor Tony Van Bynen said the bylaws were enacted after two years of discussion with community residents and business owners.

"Mr. Bayley did make the correct decision in deciding not to drink and drive and quite frankly, the consequences of drinking and driving are much more severe than a parking ticket," Van Bynen said. "The good thing about our system is the Mr. Bayley does have an opportunity to have it reviewed before a justice of the peace."