Toronto Police pitch licence plate scanners as a way to close parking ticket 'loophole'
The Toronto Police Service are eyeing ways to add more technology to the city’s parking system in a way that could make it harder for drivers to avoid tickets — and close what one self-styled parking vigilante calls a “loophole.”
Rennie Johnson walks the streets of his St. Clair Village neighbourhood to blow the whistle on illegal parkers and says over the hundreds of cars he’s called in, he’s noticed a pattern when he complains to parking enforcement.
“There’s a loophole. You have to call at a certain time,” he told CTV News while checking out whether the cars that are parked on his street have passes — or are overstaying their welcome, something he’s seen more often in the pandemic.
Johnson gets results — parking officials often respond to his complaints, as evidenced by one blue van that had a $30 ticket when CTV News visited.
But he has noticed that if he calls after about 10am, it’s much less likely that someone will get a ticket for staying longer than the maximum three hours.
“It bothers a lot of people who have to go up another block and walk home after a long day,” Johnson said.
A parking enforcement officer is captured in a CTV News Toronto report on June 24, 2022.TPS officials admitted that there is an enforcement gap of sorts: a limitation because of the manual way that their officers track parked cars.
They chalk a tire by hand to prove someone hasn’t moved their car. The same officer has to chalk it and check it after three hours. And if an officer changes shifts, it’s back to square one.
Officers say they’re looking at technology that other cities have that could bridge the gap, including licence plate scanners. The scanners take pictures of a licence plate, and scan it into a database — information that any officer could access to write a ticket.
That would close the so-called loophole — but there aren’t any timelines yet. It’s part of a larger examination of new technology that Supt. Scott Baptist says could be as transformative as the adoption of the GreenP app to pay for parking.
He pointed to the options that a large-scale digital mapping of Toronto streets could produce: drivers paying for the opportunity to park in non-metered areas and avoiding tickets, while digitally tracking it in such a way that residents would be much less likely to be affected — though warned there are no hard decisions made yet.
“It’s a conceptual discussion we’re having as we’re trying to improve the system for people trying to come into the City of Toronto,” he said in an interview.
A licence plate scanners takes a pictures of a licence plate and scans it into a database.Until then, some drivers appeared to be taking advantage of Johnson's street. One man in that blue van returned to find his ticket — and explained he was another resident who had let his friend park in a driveway, and he parked on the street.
“I parked it over here and I forgot it overnight,” he said.
Another woman told CTV News she works nearby for minimum wage, and just can’t afford to pay for parking.
“I move my car every so often,” she said.
One caveat on the new technology: when paying for parking, or parking tickets, becomes easier, revenues tend to rise. That’s what happened in other cities adopting licence plate scanners, and what happened when Toronto adopted the GreenP app.
Supt. Baptist said for him — it’s not about the money.
“This is a huge project. To take this on, it’s going to be a significant investment. It’s going to have an impact broadly on how parking is structured within the City of Toronto,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Steve Buscemi punched in the face while walking in N.Y.C.
Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi has been treated for injuries after being punched in the face while walking in New York City.
'Be very, very careful': Wildfire conditions 'still extreme,' says Alberta fire chief
As wildfire conditions remain 'extreme' in northern Alberta, residents are being urged to be extra cautious and follow a fire ban.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Canucks' Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosscheck on Oilers' McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been given the highest possible fine under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Jerry Seinfeld speech prompts pro-Palestinian demonstration at U.S. university graduation ceremony
A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting "free Palestine" amid a mix of boos and cheers.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Irving Oil former president dies at age 93
Arthur L. Irving, chairman emeritus and former president of Irving Oil, has died at the age of 93.