Temperatures are set to drop this weekend, but Toronto city councillors’ anger with drivers who block streetcar routes is still white-hot.
On Thursday, the city’s infrastructure committee passed a motion to investigate raising fines and moving to “rapidly remove” cars blocking streetcar routes during a snowstorm.
The current fine is $200, which “isn’t a deterrent,” according to University-Rosedale Coun. Diane Saxe.
“Even if the driver were ticketed, the current fine for blocking a snow route is only $200 — barely the cost of a tank of gas for a $70,000 truck,” Saxe wrote in her motion. “This is clearly inadequate to deter such behaviour, as driven home by the hundreds of such incidents that occurred this month.”
A TTC spokesperson said there have been around 1,000 reports of parked cars blocking streetcars since the first big snowfall two weeks ago. The delays varied from a few minutes to over an hour and a half.
Streetcar lines are part of the city’s designated snow routes, where parking is prohibited following a snowstorm so crews can properly clear the roads. Toronto parking enforcement officers issued over 3,600 tickets for blocking snow routes, a spokesperson said.
However, not every snow route has a streetcar on it. A breakdown by streetcar route could not be provided.
Toronto police — who contract towing services to three private companies — towed 74 cars.
Saxe’s motion also asked the police to determine whether the city would need more downtown tow yards to handle an expected increase in impounded cars.
Currently, Toronto is split into three tow zones. The downtown zone compromises the whole city south of Bloor Street and west of Birchmount Road. Yonge Street bisects the east and west zones, north of Bloor Street.
The east and west zones have one 90,000-square-foot impound lot each.
Downtown has two lots but the second is “used exclusively for the rapid impoundment and release of vehicles, in rush hour routes, in the downtown zone,” a police spokesperson said.
Viral videos show transit riders taking measures into their own hands.
Earlier in the week, the TTC board passed a similar motion to study a revamp of the winter storm plans.
Coun. Jamaal Myers, the TTC board chair, said the transit agency has to do more but needs the city to pitch in.
Myers said he thought it was "surprising that we wouldn't have taken a proactive step to make sure that these routes were clear, because we knew the snow was coming.”
“That’s not just a TTC problem, that’s also a City of Toronto problem,” he said.
Interim TTC CEO Greg Percy also said the agency needs to “do something different,” such as increasing the $200 fine.
The plan, which is due back in a few months, will also provide recommendations on improving snow clearing at transit stops and shielding portions of the subway system that are vulnerable to blowing snow.
