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I'd like to see the end of on-street parking on main streets entirely, and instead build more Green P or private lots to support retail shoppers and visitors who drive, but the lots should go underground. That's what they do in Manhattan, where we find driving as easy as Toronto. The family and I have driven down to NYC several times and we normally stay near West 57th and between 5th and 8th Avenue, just south of Central Park, and there is tons of parking for cars everywhere, but all underground, with valet parking with elevators taking your car into some dungeon. Mind you, for short term parking this might be tricky - as we park the car for the week and never see it again until it's time to go home.
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Fines matter little if enforcement is unreliable. I drive St. Clair between Dufferin and Yonge and every day I see someone parked or stopped in the curb lane, often it’s some Uber waiting to pickup, or a commercial truck delivering or shredding, or someone loitering with their four ways on, waiting 15-30 min until rush hour restrictions are over. And never do I see parking enforcement taking action.Toronto city council approves increasing fines for more than 100 parking violations
Toronto councillors have voted in favour of increasing fines for more than 100 parking violations.
Fines for some parking violations were increased. Unfortunately the increases were watered down, and it seems like the number of violations targeted were cut as well (though the article didn’t have details).
At least it’s a small step forward.
I think there’s a ceiling to this though. My onstreet parking permit is paid by my employer, so to me it’s no difference, but several of my neighbours are renters or lower income families who presumably must have a car, and would then be paying a greater share of their limited income to park. Do we really want to make living in this city even more expensive through government fees, so that only the wealthy can have nice things?
That’s very true. Anecdotally, enforcement of all kinds appears to be dropping, and on top of that, it appears (again, anecdotally) that people are less invested in following rules for the public good.
I prefer a bounty system. For example, there’s no reason whatsoever to be parked in a bike lane. The law doesn’t care if you’ve got a disability permit, or if you’re a quick Uber drop, or running an emergency insulin pickup. No one GAF, you can no more stop your vehicle in a bike lane than you could hope up on the sidewalk. So, enact a bounty system, where after signup and vetting by the city, the public can photograph the scofflaw and the city issues a ticket, with 25% of the fine going to the photographer.
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Come visit Mississauga, I often see people parked in front of community housing on the multi use bike trail. Often 2-3 carsI prefer a bounty system. For example, there’s no reason whatsoever to be parked in a bike lane. The law doesn’t care if you’ve got a disability permit, or if you’re a quick Uber drop, or running an emergency insulin pickup. No one GAF, you can no more stop your vehicle in a bike lane than you could hope up on the sidewalk. So, enact a bounty system, where after signup and vetting by the city, the public can photograph the scofflaw and the city issues a ticket, with 25% of the fine going to the photographer.
This is the system they used in Manhattan to fine idling trucks, and something Winnipeg and SF considered years ago.
App could create army of parking bounty hunters | Globalnews.ca
Some entrepreneurial Winnipeggers are set to unleash an army of bounty hunters keen on nabbing people who park in disabled parking spots without a permit or in front of a fire hydrant.
SF supervisors explore offering bounties for reporting of drivers blocking bike lanes
It is a proposal inspired by a bill in New York City to tackle drivers double parking and putting cyclist at risk. But how would a bounty on bike lane violations work?
