Those who suffer under the predatory parking practices of the City of Toronto are rightly suspicious that Council might really be ready to adopt a less abusive system. Toronto shovels in an enormous load of cash each year with “gotcha” parking practices that have been put in place over the years. Nearly a generation has passed since the ticket-spitting park-o-meters were installed. That piece of equipment eliminated the reasonable value offered by unelapsed time. Drivers could find (or leave behind) unelapsed time on a vacant meter. In many cities they called the new paper tickets “municipal double dipping”. More than that, the system which is still in effect today levies a punishing penalty on those who want to add to (or re-up) their time. One must buy a new ticket and forfeit the money already paid. It is surely among the most unfair collection processes known to the democratic process. Now the deputy mayor, Mr. Kelly, says a pay-by-cell-phone program will go into effect this summer at 130 parking lots. It will be in place at 18,000 Green P street spots by 2015. What this means as a total of Toronto’s parking space or if the program will extend to South Bayview or Mt. Pleasant is uncertain. But it should. And the key to a fair and civilized system will be a motorist’s freedom to re-up time when he or she wishes without penalty. And portability. Drivers must have the right to take time paid with them within reasonable circumstances. The new ParkChicago plan permits this. There will be no convenience or service provided if the park-by-phone system is as abusive as the present one.
