Use of Parking Machines for On-Street Parking

The Corporate Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (November 25, 1998) from the President, The Toronto Parking Authority:

Purpose:

To allow for the establishment and operation of pay and display machines for on-street parking facilities, including replacing parking meters with parking machines and setting fees.

Financial Implications:

The authority to establish parking machines will aid the Toronto Parking Authority in achieving its net revenues from on-street operations identified in its 1999 budget.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that City Council:

(1)authorize the City Solicitor to prepare and introduce an amendment to By-law No.1998-28 being 'A By-law Respecting the Toronto Parking Authority' to:

(a)establish the same powers and authorities currently provided to the Toronto Parking Authority with respect to on-street meters to include on-street parking machines throughout the City;

(b)provide the City Solicitor with standing authority with respect to City of Toronto by-laws regulating on-street parking machines and meters to process bills to:

(i)incorporate fees set by the Toronto Parking Authority, on certification to the Solicitor by the President, Toronto Parking Authority that the fees have been set according to the criteria approved by City Council at its meeting of July 29, 30 and31, 1998, as amended at their meeting of October 1, 2, 1998; and

(ii)allow for the replacement, as an administrative matter of parking meters with machines or machines with meters on certification to the solicitor by the President that the Ward Councillors are in agreement with such replacement; and

(2)authorize the City Solicitor to prepare and introduce a By-law to establish regulations for the operation and use of parking machines throughout the City of Toronto.

Reference:

At its meeting of July 29, 30 and 31, 1998, Council adopted Clause 38 of Report No. 11 of TheCorporate Services Committee, entitled 'Transfer of Parking Operation to the Parking Authority' as amended at its meeting of October 1, 2, 1998. The intent of Council's action in adopting that report was to allow the operation of all on-street metered spaces, and municipal off-street lots to be undertaken by the Authority. Council directed the City Solicitor to take whatever actions were necessary to give effect to this. Regulations relating to the establishment and operation of on-street parking machines were not included in the recommendation as adopted by Council.

Comments:

It is appropriate to use parking machines and meters to control and regulate parking on roadways in the City of Toronto. It is therefore appropriate for Council to delegate the authority to administrate the operation and use of parking machines on roadways in the City of Toronto to the Toronto Parking Authority. This will provide the Authority with the ability to deal with all aspects of the on-street parking program within the administrative parameters established by Council. The replacement of parking meters with machines is essentially an administrative matter and may be done with the concurrence of the Ward Councillor.

In Chapter 400 of the Former City of Toronto Municipal Code, a parking machine is defined as:

"An automatic or other electronic, electro mechanical or mechanical device, with the necessary standard for the device, for the purpose of controlling and regulating the parking of any vehicle in a parking space and which, when a coin has been inserted in it and the machine activated, issues a card indicating the date and time of the activating and the duration of the parking in or on the parking space permitted."

Chapter 400 authorizes the use of parking machines to control and regulate parking on roadways in the former City of Toronto, subject to the approval of City Council. Unlike a parking meter, that is used to control a single parking space, a parking machine is designed to control a number of parking spaces and different parking regulations apply. Patrons are required to purchase a ticket from a parking machine and must display the ticket inside the windshield of the vehicle. A parking infraction notice is issued for failure to display a ticket or for exceeding the time purchased on the ticket.

These regulations are currently in existence only in the former City of Toronto area. The recommendations contained herein will facilitate the extension of these provisions to allow parking machines to be installed and used throughout the new City of Toronto.