Quite a haul

Number of vehicles towed soared in 2015,

After Mayor John Tory pushed for stepped-up enforcement for rush hour parkers, the number of vehicles towed nearly doubled in 2015.

But police claim those efforts mean the total number of parking tickets issued last year — revenues used to bolster increasing cash-strapped city budgets — continued to decrease for the fourth year in a row.

An enforcement blitz on vehicles illegally parked curbside during rush hour began in January 2015, following Tory’s campaign promise of a crackdown. Tory and Chief Mark Saunders announced renewed efforts last fall, saying some drivers were falling into old habits.

Reports to the government management committee, which meets April 4, say a total 42,763 vehicles were towed last year, including 17,348 vehicles as a result of rush-hour enforcement. Only 20,238 vehicles in total were towed in 2014.

Toronto police credited the jump in numbers to the rush-hour tows as well as efforts to tow Ontario-licensed and outof-province vehicles that have three or more long-outstanding parking tickets.

That focus has drawn resources from other parts of the city, said police spokesman Mark Pugash, suggesting a reason for declining tickets.

In 2015, 2.18 million tickets were issued, compared with 2.49 million handed out in 2014. Of the tickets issued in 2015, 16 per cent were cancelled, in most cases by a court or parking official. Revenue from tickets issued in 2014 was $72.1million. So far, $55.4 million has been collected from tickets issued in 2015, with the city anticipating more fines to be paid this year.

“The efforts are being focused on where we think they will make the biggest difference with respect to gridlock and traffic flow,” he said. “Our motivation is not revenue. Our position has always been that.”

Falling ticket revenue has raised eyebrows at city hall before, with councillors questioning police about it but receiving little explanation. Some have suggested the decline was retribution for an earlier freeze on the police budget.

Both the service, which issues the vast majority of tickets in the city, and the union representing officers have strongly denied those accusations, claiming that having fewer officers than previous years has also been a factor.

A city staff report cited several possible reasons for a decrease in tickets, including greater driver compliance with the rules.

According to the police report, while total tickets were down, the number of rush-hour tickets increased 32 per cent, totalling 83,868 in 2015.

“Rush-hour enforcement initiatives, bylaw changes and fine increases have an impact on public behaviour and appear to be achieving increased motorist compliance with some of the municipal parking bylaws,” the report said.

In September, Saunders said vehicles towed during rush hour totalled 12,000. After a second enforcement blitz, that number apparently jumped by more than 5,000 in the last three months of the year.