YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife Motors owner Tony Vane is fed up with the city's bylaw officers using his petrol station to catch speeders arriving downtown via Highway 4.

Tony Vane stands outside his Yellowknife Motors office and petrol station at the corner of Veteran's Drive and 48th Street. He is fed up with bylaw officers using his lot as ticket dispensing area. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

Vane said he recently requested a bylaw officer to stop blocking potential customers from entering his lot after pulling an alleged speeder over.

"When I asked the officer to move his vehicle he replied that he would when he was finished," said Vane. "Not a very polite answer to give a business owner on his own property."

In addition, Vane said he is concerned at the speed at which bylaw often pulls into his lot, calling it a safety hazard.

"What concern did they have for public safety chasing a vehicle in the area of our gas pumps?" he asked.

Doug Gillard, municipal enforcement manager for the city, said that since receiving several complaints from Vane he has told his officers not to use the gas station to fine or warn drivers caught speeding.

"If somebody does stop at his property, I've told (bylaw officers) to make contact with the driver and advise them to pull on to the street where they can deal with the matter," said Gillard.

He added his enforcement staff cannot control where flagged motorists will choose to stop.

"We can't treat Yellowknife Motors as a sanctuary, we have to continue our traffic stop... (but Vane has) definitely made it clear he doesn't want us on his property."

Vane contends that bylaw enforcement sets a speed trap on Highway 4 just west of his gas station and car dealership to net motorists caught unaware of the 45km/h speed-limit that kicks in before the intersection.

"My personal belief is that they would be better employed as Hollywood stunt drivers," said Vane of an instance where he witnessed a bylaw car speed into his lot, then call for backup, "Just to give a speeding ticket."

"We do monitor speeding in that area," said Gillard. "But I can tell you that we patrol and have written speeding tickets on nearly every street in Yellowknife."