Public Works Chair Denzil Minnan-Wong says the city will go after the “jackasses” who willfully park illegally during rush hour with a new set of set of rules that come into effect at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday.
Under the new rules, the fine for parking illegally during rush hour will go up to a fixed fine of $150, from a suggested fine of $60.
The beefed-up rush hour fine will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The city plans to change over signs to reflect the new rules, beginning in March.
“We have all experienced the flagrant behaviour of a few thoughtless individuals who I would refer to as jackasses. They don’t seem to care about the implication of their decision to park illegally and it results in needless delays for other drivers,” Minnan-Wong told reporters at city hall Tuesday. “The intention of these initiatives is to ensure our transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.”
In addition to the increased fine for rush-hour parking violations, the city is also giving traffic enforcement officers the go-ahead to have cars with a record of at least three unpaid parking tickets towed rather than writing a fourth ticket.
The city will begin enforcing the towing measure on Feb. 5, allowing drivers to deal with any backlog of unpaid parking tickets.
Vehicles displaying accessible parking permits will be exempt from the new rule.
Currently about 115,000 drivers have three or more unpaid tickets on their records.
“We believe the inconvenience of having your car towed will act as a strong deterrent to illegal parking and provide an incentive to clear all outstanding parking fees,” Minnan-Wong said. “It is a best practice approach used by other municipalities across North America and it is a proven method of reducing traffic congestion and parking offences.”
While the new rules could result in a backlash from some Torontonians, Kimberly Rossi, unit commander for the Toronto Police service Parking Enforcement Unit, said it’ll be worth the initial hiccups.
“Parking enforcement in a city such as Toronto is not popular, but this initiative is an important initiative,” she told CP24. “It is all about congestion, the free and safe flow of traffic and at the end of the day we are all hoping for compliance.”
Minnan-Wong says increased fines are no cash grab
Mayor Rob Ford has criticized the new parking rules, telling reporters that the new $150 fine is merely a “cash grab,” but on Tuesday Minnan-Wong said the increased fine only represents about 0.33 per cent of all tickets issued and won’t have a significant impact on revenue.
Though he usually tends to agree with his brother on issues at city hall, Coun. Doug Ford said he too is in favour of the increased fine.
“It is disturbing when you are driving down the street at rush hour and there is some character pulled over to the side and there are cars backed up for a mile,” Coun. Ford said. “It’s frustrating and do they deserve a $150 fine? In my opinion, yes.”
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