London council may standardize parking fines

London City Council will look at levelling the playing field when it comes to fines for parking in traffic lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors will review a recommendation from the corporate services committee to make the fines all the same amount, $60.

Right now, there’s a $60 fine for parking on a sidewalk, a $55 ticket for parking in a traffic lane and a $40 fine for parking in a bike lane.

“When you’re riding a bike and you have a bike lane, it’s one of the few places in the city where you feel a little bit safer to ride,” said Ben Cowie of the London Bicycle Cafe.

“When there’s a car parked there you get thrown out into traffic where people aren’t expecting you to be,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When there's a car parked there you get thrown out into traffic where people aren't expecting you to be," he said.

Cowie said the city is warming up to cycling in London, but added the way the streets are designed encourages bad driving.

“London’s streets are over-wide. They’re over-engineered to permit and encourage speeding, so people speed everywhere as a result,” he said.

“Narrowing traffic lanes, not having those slip lanes that you can turn right easily, and protected intersections will make it easier for people walking and cycling.”

Cowie added the city is responding to the demand for better infrastructure.