Heather Wright/The Independent

If you park your car on Petrolia’s main street while you work, you might find a parking ticket on your windshield.

Monday, Petrolia Council approved a revised parking bylaw which reinstates timed parking in the downtown.

The issue came up as the staff brought forward a consolidated parking bylaw to bring all the individual parking statutes in the town into one comprehensive package.

Staff say several years ago, in an effort to be welcoming to the visitors to Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, the town simply didn’t enforce the stated two-hour parking limit downtown. In fact, the town took down most of the parking signs, including those on Petrolia Line, as part of the effort. But officials with the Petrolia Business Association worried some store owners were simply parking in front of their store all night, making parking scarce.

The new bylaw extends parking privileges to four hours, but says after that time, there will be zero tolerance and tickets will be issued.

The consolidated parking bylaw – which is already in effect – also gives residents a little more time to park on the street in the winter. The town has shortened the winter parking season by about a month; from Nov. 15 to April 15. However, the bylaw doesn’t allow year round parking as Mayor Brad Loosley had suggested.