Committee votes to hike rush-hour parking fines

The city’s public works and infrastructure committee has passed a motion to raise parking fines significantly as the city tries to ease downtown rush-hour congestion and raise revenue.

Soon after the committee voted 3-2 in favour of the proposal Wednesday morning, committee member and Coun. Mike Layton posted the results on Twitter.

The initiative stemmed from a report from transportation services which recommended increasing fines about three-fold for vehicles that park or stop in bike lanes and disregard parking rules during the rush hour.

If approved by council next month, fines for these infractions could jump to $150, from the current $40 for a no parking offence and $60 for a no stopping or standing offence.

It would reportedly make Toronto’s parking fines the highest in the country.

“Staff suggests that greater compliance with the rush hour regulations and bicycle lane restrictions will only be achieved through a combination of increased fines, directed enforcement patrols and towing to augment the current enforcement protocols and the raising of public awareness as it relates to this issue,” the report stated.

“It is difficult to predict in advance whether revenue from increased fine amounts for these types of offences will offset the decrease in parking ticket revenues from fewer tickets being issued.”

A plan to issue 30-minute parking permits for courier and delivery vehicles was handed over  to city staff for further study.

Those permits, which would not provide exemptions during rush-hour periods, could cost companies anywhere between $500 and $5,000 a year, depending on the number of vehicles in their fleet.

Council will debate the new fine increase on Feb. 6.