A parking ticket costs less than paying at some Toronto lots. That could soon change

Are you feeling lucky?

That's a question some drivers have been asking themselves as they park at some of the city's busiest tourist attractions and transit stations. Do they pay for parking, or walk away and take the chance of getting a ticket? 

But a new city report says increasingly, drivers are risking a fine because it's cheaper to get the ticket than to pay the daily parking rate. It's a loophole that members of city council's general government committee are being asked to close when they meet next Monday. City staff want to more than double off-street parking lot tickets in those lots from $30 to $75. 

"If you are a risk-taker, and there are some of them out there, people may be parking their cars and taking a chance whether or not they're going to get a ticket," said Coun. Stephen Holyday, who is vice-chair of the committee.

"The report proposes to increase the fine… as a deterrent for parking illegally, and to ensure that people go and pay the fee."

Proposed change would standardize fines

The fine for not paying in a Green P lot was set at $75 back in 2021 but rates at places like municipal and private lots, including those run by city agencies like the TTC are $30. This proposed change would bring all the penalties in line.

Right now, some glaring differences exist, specifically in a few city tourist destinations. In the Distillery District, the maximum daily rate in nearby lots is $35 and the price for special event parking at Exhibition Place is $45. The city says a ticket for parking illegally in those places is $30. 

City staff say the number of parking violation notices issued in municipal and private lots has jumped in recent years. In 2022, over 106,000 tickets were issued in municipal lots compared to nearly 95,000 the year before. In 2022, over 377,000 tickets were issued in private lots, an increase from nearly 321,000 the previous year.

And those numbers don't reflect the people who didn't pay and managed to avoid a fine, city staff point out.

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, who chairs the Exhibition Place Board of Directors, says the move is about fairness. 

"We can't be undermining our revenue generation by continuing to proceed in that way," she said. "And this is an important move to make sure that fines are coming in line with what is already established by Green P."

Fine could go into effect Dec. 1

Exhibition Place CEO Don Boyle said the city agency adopted a new parking fee structure for its nearly 6,000 spots last December, increasing its rates and special event fees for games at BMO Field, the Honda Indy and the Carribbean Carnival.

But the agency knew that if fine rates weren't adjusted it would be a problem and began working with the city's Transportation Department to push forward the change, he said.

"We looked at what the city was doing," he said of the fines at Green P lots. "We need to increase it to a level that is a deterrent."

City staff said they have looked at the penalty amounts in surrounding GTA municipalities and found the average ticket price was higher than Toronto's current $30. Should the committee, and then city council, adopt the changes the higher fine will got into effect on Dec. 1.

Coun. Paul Ainslie, who chairs the general government committee, said he's frustrated the loophole wasn't closed sooner and is optimistic his colleagues on council will approve the change.

"I'm thankful on one level that not a lot of people have figured this out yet," he said of the loophole.