Toronto parking fines have tripled, and Zou Zhihui strongly responded: for safety reasons, we will not apologize!
Starting today, some parking fines in Toronto will increase by more than three times. Mayor Olivia Chow stated that this is a necessary measure and she will not apologize for it.
Zou Zhihui made the above comments to reporters at an unrelated press conference on Thursday morning, discussing the increase in parking ticket fees for 123 different violations.
The Toronto City Council approved a new penalty structure in April after a review by city officials.
Starting from August 1st, multiple parking fines in Toronto will increase. For certain violations, fines may only increase slightly, but in other cases, fines will increase significantly.
For example, the fine for parking on a bike lane will increase from $60 to $200.
Zou Zhihui said that the law is meant to be followed. If you break the law, you will have to pay the price. In the past, some parking fines were similar, sometimes even lower than paying for parking in a parking lot. This is meaningless.
She said that when you park illegally, it may result in loss of life or serious injury, and you will need to be fined. If it is a fine of $200 instead of $60, I will not apologize for it at all.
City government officials have previously stated that the increased fines may bring an additional $400 to $5 million in revenue to the city government annually.
However, Zou Zhihui insisted on Thursday that the increased fines were not for income, but to reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety.
She said that the change in fines for parking prohibited vehicles on bike lanes is particularly important, as last week's collision near Avenue Road on Bloor Street West resulted in the death of a 24-year-old cyclist.
The police previously stated that the cyclist was hit by a dump truck shortly after leaving the isolated bike lane. The on-site images show that in the area where the cyclist was hit, there is a construction garbage bin blocking the bike lane.
Image source: citynews
Zou Zhihui said this is related to saving lives. If you park on the bike lane, some children or young people, with a car or dump truck in front of them, have to detour and may be hit and killed. In fact, some people have already died as a result.
In 2023, the Toronto City government issued over 2.25 million parking tickets.
The staff previously stated that when deciding which fines to increase, they focus on violations that have "safety hazards" and violations that are "on the rise in number of violations".
Source link:
https://www.cp24.com/news/i-don-t-apologize-for-that-at-all-olivia-chow-defends-steeper-toronto-parking-fines-that-take-effect-today-1.6985746