The South Bayview Bulldog

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.  

The march of the new cedar hydro poles in streets of Ward 22 west of Bayview goes on apace. These scenes are from Gresham Road just off Belsize Drive. The work is necessary to replace the aging concrete poles, some of which have been in place for half a century, according to Hydro workers. Five decades of road salt has had quite impact on some of these poles at the base. Workers said it has made some of  the old standards quite wobbly. As we reported in recent weeks, the new poles carry the 4000-volt feeder services with the local wires underneath. That’s one reason for the 50 foot height of the poles. The poles come from what is said to be a vast supply of cedar trees grown for the purpose in forests in British Columbia. Many come from to Northeast of the Okanagan Valley an area famous for its abundant tall, straight cedar pole trees as long as 105 feet. For 13 years, selective logging has been used to harvest poles here. Some 3,500 to 5,000 poles per year are taken from this region. After treating, many are used by Ontario Hydro and Ontario Municipal Electrical Utilities.  Photos: March of the new cedar giants on Gresham Road west of Bayview Ave. Below, a shot of a cedar forest.