Our city is quickly becoming overwhelmed by traffic congestion. The GTA has the longest commute times in North America and it costs our region’s economy billions every year in lost productivity and a reduced quality of life.
One of the sources of these long commute times is vehicles parking illegally during rush hour in the curb lane of traffic. In an effort to keep Toronto traffic moving, City Council will soon debate a motion to increase fines for parking in curb lanes and in bike lanes during rush hour.
We have all witnessed, and been frustrated with, the “Curb Hog” – a single car parked in the curb lane, blocking an entire lane of traffic during the busiest time of the day. This slows traffic and causes congestion on many Toronto mainstreets every day.
The problem is even more noticeable in bike lanes, where a parked car puts a cyclist’s safety at risk by causing them to swerve out of their designated lane into a lane of traffic to avoid the parked car. While bike lanes are clearly marked “no stopping”, this by-law is frequently ignored at the cyclist’s peril.
In an effort to discourage illegal parking and keep Toronto traffic moving, a motion was made by myself along with Councillor Josh Matlow requesting that fines for curb lane parking during rush hour be increased and enforcement be coordinated. Transportation department staff at the City have developed a proposal to increase fines during rush hour from $40-$60 to $150. The staff report is available here.
In order to address the needs of deliveries and couriers, Transportation department staff are also proposing a new Courier/Delivery Vehicle Parking Permit that will help ensure delivery drivers and couriers abide by the necessary laws, but are given consideration for the nature of their work understanding that the city also needs to facilitate the movement of goods in and around our city. You can find out more about this here.
Please contact your local councillor and let them know, you want to eliminate Curb Hogs. If you’re not a ward 19 resident, find out who your local Councillor is here.
