June 4, 1998

 To:Toronto Community Council

 From:Lesley Watson, Director, By-law Administration and Enforcement, City Works Services

 Subject:Customer Service Improvements to the Residential Permit Parking Program Serving Residents of Wards 19 through 26 inclusive (All Wards of the former City of Toronto)

 Purpose:

 To provide information on planned customer service improvements to the residential permit parking program in the former City of Toronto (Wards 19 through 26 inclusive); and to seek City Council=s approval for those changes which require amendments to the City of Toronto Municipal Code before they can be implemented.

 Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

 Funds to initiate the proposed telephone and computer systems changes are provided in the Works and Emergency Services 1998 Operating Budget, as approved by City Council.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that:

 (1)City Council approve the necessary amendments to Chapter 400, Traffic and Parking, of the Municipal Code of the former City of Toronto, governing Wards 19 through 26 in the Toronto Community Council district only, to

 (a)permit flexible permit terms, with a minimum term of 3 months and a maximum of 24 months;

 (b)permit over-subscribing a permit area by up to 10%, at the request of the Ward Councillors;

 (c)eliminate the requirement that we charge customers to re-issue a permit when it is lost or damaged;

 (d)remove the 1 month/$30 rate for visitor/temporary permits so that all visitor/temporary permits are sold in increments of 7 days for $10;

 (e)amend the definition of a passenger vehicle to correspond with the Ministry of Transportation=s definition;

 as further described and justified in the body of this report; and

 (2)The appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto, including the introduction of all necessary bills.

 Background:

 At its meeting of March 26, 1997, the former City Services Committee considered a report entitled APermit Parking Review@. This report was subsequently adopted by City Council on April 14, 1997 without amendment. One of the recommendations was that staff continue their efforts, in consultation with the Ward Councillors, to Aminimize the incidence of waiting list situations and maximize the ease of using permit parking, by increasing the number of available spaces and adjustment of area boundaries and parking restrictions@.

 A comprehensive business review of the permit parking program was undertaken in the fall of 1997, with these goals in mind; and with the additional objective of finding ways to improve customer service and access to our services.

 This report summarizes the planned customer service improvements we have identified as a result of this review, and makes recommendations to City Council on changes to the Municipal Code which would enable us to improve service by changing some restrictive elements of the current by-law. A further report on a proposed new fee structure will be submitted at a later date.

 Staff have met with all Councillors in Wards 19 through 26 to review these proposals. Councillors support the service delivery changes, including those which will require amendments to the Municipal Code. However, there are differences of opinion on the revisions we proposed to the fee schedule and we have decided not to bring forward those proposals at this time, to permit further review and discussion.

  Background:Why we need to change the way we serve our permit parking customers

 Since the permit parking by-law was first introduced in 1961, the number of permit holders has increased from 17 to today=s figure of 54,000 customers. However, while the client base has grown dramatically, the by-law, program design and systems technology to support the program delivery have all remained substantially unaltered.

 Permit parking staff work hard and manage to serve a very high volume of customers as efficiently as possible. However, customers are still faced with long line ups at the counter during our semi-annual renewal; and cannot use the telephone with any ease to conduct routine business with us, although the technology to do this is well developed and commonly used elsewhere.

Our business review, conducted by a team of staff with assistance from outside consultants, has generated proposals for a new program design which would address these deficiencies in service, while at the same time maximizing the number of permits available at any point in time.

 The balance of the report reviews the recommended changes, briefly discusses why they are beneficial, and notes where City Council authority is required in order to implement them.

  Improvement #1:Introduce flexible permit terms

 Change:Abolish the requirement for fixed permit terms of 6 months. Allow each permit holder to pick their own permit term, from a minimum length of 3 months to a maximum of 24 months.

 Benefits:Will eliminate long line-ups which are typical of current system. Although 75% of our permit holders currently renew their permits by mail, approximately 13,000 customers still chose to renew in person, which creates huge peak loads during the last weeks in May and November, and significant delay and inconvenience for the customer. Further, the office will no longer need to be staffed to meet peak load demand.

 Will maximize the number of permit spaces available at any one time, as customers will be able to chose the permit term which best suits their needs. For example, a student who only needed a permit until the end of the school term could buy a permit which expired on April 30th. This would free up one space during the month of May which under the present fixed terms would remain unavailable until the June 1st renewal unless the permit were returned for a refund .

 Council approval required:Yes - to amend Chapter 400, Traffic and Parking, of the Municipal Code of the former City of Toronto.

  Improvement #2:Introduce transferable permits which may be used in any passenger vehicle of the customer=s choice

 Change:We are currently testing the use of a transferable permit in Area 5E, which is in Ward 23, Midtown. This experiment will operate during the permit term June 1 to November 30, 1998. Transferable permits are not issued to a specific vehicle licence and the permit holder may place them in any eligible vehicle. If the pilot is successful--based on feedback we will be actively seeking from our customers and Parking Enforcement staff--we will introduce transferable permits program-wide.

 Benefits:This will provide customers with greater flexibility to meet their household parking needs. They will no longer need to visit our offices to change the plate number if they get a different car. Examples of how a transferable permit may be used:

• on a rental car, while the regular vehicle is in for repairs
• when a car is replaced with a new vehicle during the permit term
• when a family owns two cars but has one permit, to end the need to jockey cars in and out of the driveway
• to facilitate visitor parking

 Council approval required:No.

 Improvement #3:Design and install a Telephone Interactive Voice Response System to handle customer=s inquiries and permit transactions

 Change:To introduce interactive voice response technology, in conjunction with a new client/server based computer system, to permit customers to make routine inquiries and conduct permit parking business by telephone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The funds to purchase the necessary hardware and initiate development of the software applications are included in the 1998 Operating Budget, as approved by City Council.

 Benefit:The majority of customers who responded to our telephone survey indicated that the telephone would be their first choice as a vehicle for purchasing and renewing a parking permit. This change will meet this request and will provide a fast, cheap, and convenient way for customers to access service and information. Will free staff from repetitive transactions (such as giving standard program information over the phone); and will further reduce the need for over-the-counter service.

 Council approval required:Council has approved the budget request; and this development work will be proceeding in 1998 and into early 1999.

 Improvement #4:Oversubscribing an area to increase access to on-street space, in heavy demand areas

Change:We are seeking Council=s authority to test over-selling an area, by 5 to 10% above the number of available on-street spaces, to see if this improves access to permits without creating other problems. This is similar to the airlines practice of over-booking flights, on the probability that not all passengers will need the seats they have booked on any given flight.

 Benefit:Customers on waiting lists in some areas of the City frequently complain that there are empty parking spaces on the street each night, although we have sold all the permits for the area. Over-selling an area would recognize the likelihood that on any given night, for a variety of reasons, not all permit holders are parking their vehicles in the area. This would help to relieve the strain on waiting lists in high demand areas.

Council approval required:Yes - to amend Chapter 400, Traffic and Parking, of the Municipal Code of the former City of Toronto, to permit staff to sell up to 10% more permits than there are physical spaces in certain parking streets and areas, at the request of the local Ward Councillors.

 Improvement #5:Selling a resident of Area "X" a temporary permit for adjoining Area "Y" if there is a wait list in Area AX@

 Change:Sell residents on waiting lists for parking permits to obtain temporary permits in an adjacent area where space is available, subject to the terms and conditions that apply to temporary permits.

 Benefit:This may be a viable alternative to remaining on a waiting list for some customers. It is another "relief valve" in high demand permit parking areas.

 Council approval required:No.

  Improvement #6:Suggest alternatives for customers on waiting lists

 Change:We propose to develop an inventory of alternative parking options for customers on waiting lists, which they may choose to pursue while they wait for a street permit. For example, options might include monthly passes at Parking Authority lots; night-time parking in neighbourhood church, commercial and school parking lots.

 Benefit:This represents a general improvement in customer service and responsiveness. At the present time, near the end of the current permit term, there are approximately 1,200 residents on waiting lists for parking permits in Wards 19 through 26. While our proposed changes to permit flexible permit terms, oversubscribing an area, and transferable permits should help a great deal, there may still be areas of the city where the demand for on-street parking exceeds the supply. Offering other options will relieve this pressure.

 Council approval required:No.

  Improvement #7:Make greater use of parking islands to increase the supply of permit parking spaces

 Change:On those streets where island parking has been introduced as a traffic calming measure, two sided parking is permitted at various points or "islands" along the street. The additional parking spaces achieved are only available from April to November to facilitate snow removal. We are proposing to include these seasonal parking spaces in our inventory. This will allow us to issue shorter term permits for these spots, increasing the overall supply of permit parking.

 Benefit:These additional spaces would be available for sale during the spring and summer months and would provide a temporary measure of relief to residents who might otherwise be unable to purchase a parking permit.

 Council approval required:No.

  Housekeeping changes

 There are a number of other minor modifications to the program, which are Ahard wired@ into the Municipal Code, which inhibit our efficiency and detract from customer satisfaction. We are recommending the following minor changes to the legislation, as follows:

• that there be no charge to re-issue a parking permit (for example, when it is lost or damaged).

• that visitor/temporary permits be charged for in increments of 7 days for $10 only. The current fee schedule is $10 for 7 days, and $30 for 1 month (which can be 28, 29, 30, or 31 days, depending on the month). The single rate of $10 for 7 days is simpler to explain and administer and is a very minor fee adjustment. It also eliminates the anomaly that it costs exactly the same for a visitor permit for a month ($30) as it does to purchase one for 3 weeks (3 x $10). This encourages someone to hold a temporary permit for longer than they may actually need it.

• that parking permits only be issued to vehicles which do not exceed a gross vehicle weight of 3,000 kilograms (to replace the out-moulded requirement in the current by-law which refers to the rated carrying capacity of the vehicle, and to harmonize with the Ministry of Transportation=s threshold for a passenger vehicle).

  Conclusions:

 We believe the proposals described in this report will make dramatic improvements to our customer service and access to our service, as well as increasing the overall availability of permit parking space in the city. Council=s authority is necessary to implement some of these changes, related to the introduction of flexible permit terms, over-selling areas, and some minor housekeeping amendments; while other changes can and have been made administratively.

 If Council approves these recommendations, we expect to introduce flexible permit terms, with the associated benefits for our clients, in the spring or summer of 1999.

 Contact Name and Telephone Number:

 Lesley Watson, 392-1525

Bob Bonner, 392-1560 ext. 8-6325

 Director

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