Toronto poised to pilot parking machine removal as more users turn to app
The City of Toronto is reviewing whether it is worth keeping its 2,700 on-street parking meters as drivers increasingly turn to the mobile app to process their payments.
In a report set to be considered by the infrastructure committee next week, transportation services staff suggest a one-year pilot of “mobile-only zones” in the downtown core — where street spots can be paid for only through the Green P app, text-to-pay or a QR code.
“There are a lot of benefits to it,” Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who chairs the committee, told CTV News Toronto Friday. “You don’t need to get out of your car, climb a snowbank, go over and pay, then come back and put it in your car. You can walk and pay as you go, if you’re running late.”
When the Toronto Parking Authority introduced the mobile Green P app in 2016, it accounted for fewer than half of transactions. Now, 75 per cent of customer payments are processed through the app, and staff expect the figure to climb to 85 per cent by the end of 2025.
As a result, “a number of its on-street P&D parking machines are not generating sufficient revenue to offset operational and capital costs,” the report reads.
An image of someone using the Green P mobile app. (CTV News Toronto)
Staff suggest piloting 13 mobile-only zones downtown, in locations with high uptake for the app, a low number of parking stalls per machine, and meters too old to be serviced.
“Given we are now entering an age where we can literally walk into the subway by paying on our watches, I think it’s reasonable to always review how we can modernize and use technology better,” Coun. Josh Matlow told CTV News Toronto.
“That being said though—I would hope that this pilot addresses people who are not tethered to their smartphones, or who may not be technologically savvy.”
Someone paying for parking in Toronto using a parking machine. (CTV News Toronto)
Once pilot data is collected, the staff report acknowledges that an in-depth examination of the implications of removing the machines will be necessary. The cities of Ajax, Winnipeg, Buffalo, and Miami have also implemented the model successfully, it notes.
Reducing the reliance on parking equipment would also serve to generate larger parking profits for the city, the report says.
City council will consider the pilot in October.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday, state media reported. Raisi was 63.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.