New pilot project offers designated parking for motorcycles

TORONTO – The city is rolling out a new pilot project to provide designated parking for motorcycles and scooters.

City officials will set aside 300 spaces in 30 existing pay-and-display locations in the downtown core at no cost.

“Our goal here is simply to have safe and convenient motorcycle and scooter parking,” Steve Buckley, the city’s general manager for Transportation Services said. “They’ve been permitted to park where cars park but in many cases, they’re often between vehicles.”

Daniel Smalley has been riding his Harley for nine years and loves that space will be set aside for motorcyclists so he won’t have to squeeze between cars or park illegally.

“I think if they mark some spaces that would be perfect,” he said.”Everyone would be on the same page.”

The designated parking areas will eventually be marked with lines on the pavement as well as special yellow signs.

There is no bylaw, however, preventing cars or trucks from taking up that space.

“I think the city should make arrangements for the motorcycles,” driver Nadam Raez said. “They should have to buy the ticket or maybe there should be a separate stand for the bikers.”

The city began offering parking fee exemptions to motorcycles in 2005, to address complaints about ‘pay-and-display’ being stolen or blown away.

Since that time, nothing has been implemented and revenues estimated between $125,000 and $250,000 annually aren’t being collected.

The Toronto Parking Authority does have a ‘pay-by-plate’ system in the works but no timeline has been set.

“At this point, there are always good times to jump into technology,” Buckley said. “The pay-by-plate is ripe enough now that the TPA felt comfortable going to apps and pay-by-phone.”

The new sites will be monitored by TPA staff over the next year in order to evaluate how much they’ve been used.

Final recommendations are expected in the fall of 2015.