Toronto councilors voted to increase fines for more than 100 parking violations.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the city council discussed a staff report that proposed increasing fine amounts for 125 violations related to parking, stopping and standing.
Count. Jennifer McKelvie, chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, introduced a motion revising some of the fine amounts in the initial staff report.
“I think we quickly realized in discussions with council colleagues that maybe we should take a more Goldilocks approach, as we had some bears who thought the fines were too high, and we had other bears who thought the fines were too high. fines were too high. Too low, and I think in the end the city staff has come back with fines that are actually correct,” said McKelvie, whose motion passed 20-1.
The fine for parking in bike lanes, for example, will increase from $150 to $200, while not paying the required fee at parking machines would go from $30 to $50. The approved increases will take effect on August 1.
The Council also directed the general manager of transportation services to review all parking tickets over five years and report on those amounts adjusted for inflation.
McKelvie acknowledged there will be pushback against tickets, but said residents have the option to follow the rules and park legally.
“What we really want is that if we didn’t collect money for parking violations in the city of Toronto, it would be a good day, because everyone was following the road, the rules of the road. Everyone was doing their thing. “Everyone was doing doing their part to make sure we relieve congestion on the roads,” he said.
According to the report, current fines are out of step with penalties for parking violations in nearby municipalities.
The report stated that most fine amounts currently range between $15 and $60, which are “generally lower” than fines for similar offenses in surrounding jurisdictions.
“Most fine amounts have generally not changed (in Toronto) since enactment and are not automatically adjusted for inflation,” the report reads.
“The recommended increase in penalty amounts will ensure better alignment with penalty amounts in other jurisdictions, encourage compliance, ensure that certain offenses are set at levels proportional to the seriousness of the offense, and ensure that offenses within the “The same categories are established with the same amount to maintain consistency.”
Depending on the volume of tickets issued in 2023, the city could see an additional $62 million in revenue as a result of increased fines, although staff expect actual revenue to be between $40 million and $50 million.
The recommendations come after fines increased from $30 to $75 for drivers caught parking illegally on city and private property in December.