City council voting on getting rid of free parking for motorcycles today

[RetroGrouch]

Since Case Ootes retired, the councillor who got us free parking, he's not around to champion our cause. Good thing I started riding my bicycle more in the city this year.

[Dayao12]

What the EFF?! It's so impractical. It'll be very easy for someone to take and use as their own. And if it's done that way, someone is still getting a free spot. Or a gust of wind will force us to go to court to prove that we did buy a ticket in the first place...ughh...

[awyala]

My letter to the councellor of the ward I work in.

Dear Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam,

Though I am not a resident of your ward, I am employed within ward 27. I have also lived almost my entire life within the Toronto limits and only now reside in Mississauga.

I beseech you to vote against repealing free motorcycle parking in Toronto based on the following rationale:

1) On an emotional level this lack of guidance and fore sight embarrasses me as a long-time resident of Toronto, who has had the opportunity to live abroad in London, only to return and witness a faltering lack of leadership or planning on a variety of issues such as bicycle lanes, high occupancy lanes etc., and now the issue with motorcycle parking. Toronto leaves me stunned and ashamed when it lowers itself to the level of knee jerk reactions or copy and paste solutions to issues the city faces. This almost Westminster style response (which in and of itself was highly controversial in that borough in London) is akin to Toronto's close watchful eye on London's congestion charge. Toronto yet again, exemplifies a character of follower rather than leader to take what is clearly a backward step with regard to motorcyclists.

2) Inconsistent or haphazard application of "initiatives" or incentives. When in one breath the city plays the "green" card, then takes a step like this, it illustrates lack of a cohesive holistic approach. When in another breath parking officials turn a blind eye to upwards of 150cc scooters parked on sidewalks, then punishes motorcycles (of any capacity) for parking on the street, again, it smacks of incoherence and misguided strategies. At worst it is just plain unjust and targeted bias.

3) The reaction you expect to receive or goal you expect to achieve. When my gas consumption for a 34km round trip commute from the edges of Toronto into the downtown core takes 30 minutes, costs me $20/wk in premium 91 octane fuel, and incurs no parking charges (and keep in mind I ride thee most gas guzzling of motorcycles, a super sport 1000cc), why on Earth would you think banning free parking, and forcing someone like me to incur a $20/day surcharge won’t have me running back to my warm comfortable idling car? Why on Earth would riders like me, or on even less polluting lower capacity commuter grade bikes bother braving the weather in hot, cold, rainy, windy conditions to then be met with an additional $400/month fee to park downtown?!?!?! This parking charge will have us all back in our air conditioned / heated cars clogging up the roads and taking up parking spots...more than we ever did on our bikes. Unless of course you plan on pushing us onto the now underfunded, over charged, oversubscribed and recently reduced capacity TTC. It just so happens my alternative route to work will be via the Queen Street car which has recently been announced will be met with reduced capacity and longer wait times. Again on the emotional level this brings shame to my heart to see a once great city buckle under the load of population figures of 2.5 million for Toronto and 5.9 million for the CMA (inclussive of York, Peel, Halton and parts of Durham). Even with such inflated figures over an enormous geographic territory Toronto is left dumb founded with the increase in congestion and trafficarge. More populous and less known cities have met their challenges with more poise, grace, and inginuity and haven't buckled under such low population figures. Rob Ford and his love affair of the car is one thing, but it makes no sense to target motorcycles...unless of course the aim is revenue generation...which after all is what made Westminster’s decision so controversial. Even so what income would you stand to gain from bikes?

I urge you to vote down this proposal tomorrow and consider real statistics rather than entertain whimsical imitative hollow gestures. I urge you to prove me wrong about Toronto's lack of vision and planning and rally others to usher in an era of leadership for this city.

In my personal opinion, if the city were to legalize filtering for example, or at least table that as an option...the outcome would see your average Joe who works in the city rushing to his nearest scooter dealership to snap up a 150cc scooter for $5000 to $7000, grab some textile all weather gear and swap his bulbous polluting car for a sleek eco-friendly, economical conveyance. With low capacity motorcycles / scooters in the sub $10k range, with insurance levels at roughly $500 per annum, and weekly fuel costs at around $12/week, and NO PARKING CHARGES....as you have witnessed, even in this cold climate, many more people will be switching to an all round win win commuting solution. Throw in the legalization of filtering to cut down commute times even further and you could see a shift in commuting patterns for this city. However, follow through with this proposal to repeal free parking for motorcycles and I vehemently assure you, you will witness a collapse of motorized two wheel commuting of any capacity. You will relegate the whole industry to a wealthy person's weekend summer recreational romp.

If you don't have some solid numbers to back this proposal, which have not properly been passed on to the public mind you, I would be shocked and dismayed to learn you voted for this proposal.

Make us proud, as riders, as green conscious stewards, and as Torontonians, yours,

[whetaus-tr]

I wonder if they are pulling this just now because it is the end of the season..

[CruisnGrrl]

could you sue the councillors in support of charging motorcycles for time lost when fighting traffic tickets?

[Rob MacLennan]

Members of GTA who actually live in Toronto will need to get on this, by contacting their counsellors, as soon as possible. This is the last session for the fall. Thos of us who work in Toronto, but live outside, can really be of no help here. With the hate on for 905ers we'd just be reinforcing their idea, that they rescind the free parking in pay & display areas, because we'd be seen as taking advantage of Torontonians who do pay for parking.

For the record, I do pay for parking my bike. It's a nominal charge, paid to my employer, but I pay nonetheless.

could you sue the councillors in support of charging motorcycles for time lost when fighting traffic tickets?

In a word: No.

[kiwi]

This ****ing city. I hate it.

I emailed my councilor on a variation of the letter posted earlier. I hope the The Toronto Motor Scooter club gets in on the act too. Scooters will be next... I bet you.

Total wankers these Politicians.

[Face]

This issue isn't over yet. The recommendation before Council as the following:

"Councillor Mike Del Grande, seconded by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the February, 2012 meeting of City Council, through the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on options for the implementation and enforcement of parking charges and fees regarding motorcycles and motor scooters to harmonize them with parking for other motorized vehicles.

2. In preparing the report, the General Manager review the City's pay-and-display areas as well as the number of parking permits currently being exempted to determine the financial impact of the recommended changes to pay parking."

I'll keep an eye on the City web site to see if these recommendations pass, and post the results. If they do, we have 2 directions to pursue, and I suggest we do both:

1. Meet with Transportation Services staff to encourage them to report on all aspects of the issue. I'm happy to organize that. Sounds like EatsleepRIDE has a good handle on this and should join me. I would also like to hear from any lawyers out there who know about issues related to prosecution against motorcycles without pay & display tickets, burden of proof, costs associated with prosecution, etc. Please PM me if you can help. Hopefully we can get staff to look at all the costs, not just the potential lost revenue referred to in recommendation #2. It also helps that staff are aware that this is a publicly sensitive issue. With any luck we can get staff to recommend against changing the by-law to charge motorcycles.

2. Continue the political lobbying. Everyone should e-mail your Councillor, but we should focus on the members of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee who will then have to make their recommendation to Council. They are Mark Grimes, Mike Layton, Denzil Minnan-Wong, John Parker, Gord Perks & David Shiner. You can see who your Councillor is, and e-mail them through the following link:

http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp

We should also organize as many people as we can to attend the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee when they hear this matter in February. Committee meetings are open to public deputations, Council meetings aren't. This is the time to speak up in person.

It's not too late! There is a lot more we can do to fight this! Let's keep the pressure on! Remember, this is just a last minute motion from 2 Councillors looking to pinch a few pennys. If we can show that the costs out weigh the benefits, and that this could become a bigger political problem, then we have a reasonable chance of success.

[CruisnGrrl]

could you sue the councillors in support of charging motorcycles for time lost when fighting traffic tickets?

In a word: No.

To clarify, it would be small claims court, I'm thinking that it would mean wasting their time, not suing to win, suing to waste their time. yes I know there would be court fees to file and it would be an abuse of the courts, but if if they can waste my time I think i should be able to waste theirs, if enough people had them running around i think it would be hilarious.