Toronto City Council is looking to expand permit parking on dozens of residential streets.
A city report found at least half a dozen wards where residential streets could be converted to offer permit parking including Parkdale-High Park, Davenport, and Toronto-Danforth.
Tiziana Rosvelti lives in Davenport, less than a block from Glenhurst Avenue, one of the streets up to be converted.
“The need is there,” she said. “But I think it would be difficult because it’s a busy through street for people to get home or go to work.”
As a homeowner in the area, Rosvelti said it can be so hard to find a spot. Sometimes, she avoids going out entirely because she may not find a place to park when she gets back.
“Cars don’t fit. The driveways are too narrow for anyone to park anything other than a small little mini-car,” Rosvelti said.
Parkdale-High Park Councillor Gord Perks said there has been a hodge-podge of rules when it comes to parking. According to Perks, the changes will simplify the system and make it more consistent so fewer people are getting tickets and more people are able to get parking on their street.
“Right now if you don’t have permit parking and it changes to permit parking, nothing changes for you,” Perks said, speaking to CTV News Toronto.
“You’re still allowed to park on that street for three hours a day, without getting a ticket, no change there, it just means it creates a new opportunity, if you want to park longer than 3 hours, overnight.”
Sam Lapointe said she and her husband have a parking spot, but when friends come over, finding a spot can be a challenge.
“However, parking on this specific street (Glenhurst Avenue) I don’t think it should happen because it’s a really skinny street, especially in the wintertime, it is really hard to park. Instead we should find other things we can do, other solutions, like removing the snow so there are more places to park,” Lapointe said.
She said the area is popular for biking and kids.
“I know it’s not one way now, but it’s basically going to be ... (parking) can make a short street very long to travel on.”
“This is for your neighbourhood street. It won’t interfere with bike lanes, it won’t interfere with deliveries,” said Perks when asked about possible traffic concerns from the changes.
Cost to permit park and timeline
The changes were approved at Toronto and East York Community Council on Dec. 3 and could be approved or amended by City Council through Dec. 17 and 18.
Perks said none of the changes will be implemented immediately and people will get a notice about how the system works.
Perks said it mostly changes what happens overnight and permits will cost about $100 to $300.
“This is for mostly what used to be the old City of Toronto, parts of East York and former city of York. This isn’t Scarborough, North York or Etobicoke,” Perks said in an interview with CTV News Toronto Monday.
“For most of us who have live-in permit parking, this is the easiest thing since sliced bread. You go on the website, make a phone call, you arrange to get a permit and stick it on the window of your car.”
“We are not introducing parking that doesn’t have any parking at all, and we are not changing the parking on main streets.”
