Taxis get approval to park at 18 hydrants
Don’t be surprised to see taxis roosting in front of select fire hydrants in the downtown core, with no fear of a pricey parking ticket.
As part of a pilot project, the city has designated 18 hydrants as waiting areas for taxis, with more to come, if the initiative is a success.
We recently wrote about the removal of signs warning of two hydrants on University Ave. that are so far back from the curb that drivers looking for parking often don’t see them, making them sitting ducks for a $100 ticket. They were removed to make way for new signs indicating that one taxi could park in the area in front of the hydrants; we thought it was a dumb idea to take them down. After our column (and some encouragement from Mayor John Tory, who also thought it was dumb) the city reversed course and returned the fire hydrant warning signs to their rightful place.
Information forwarded to us by city officials included a letter to Toronto fire Chief Matthew Pegg, advising that 18 downtown locations for taxis to park in front of hydrants were approved by city council last summer.
It says the “Stands for Taxicabs at Hydrants Pilot” creates additional parking for taxis “by utilizing the three metres of curb space on either side of a hydrant that is otherwise a ‘No Parking Anytime’ area.
“The pilot will allow taxicab operators to park or stand at hydrant locations, marked by an authorized sign, to wait for hire, provided they remain with their vehicles at all times and vacate the spot when required,” by the fire department or authorized officials.
“All locations selected for the pilot have been field-checked, deemed to be suitable, and are subject to posted rush hour period and other regulations.”
City officials told us more hydrants could be designated if the project results are positive, but it raised a question not answered in the documents: does it apply to Uber and Lyft drivers?
The pilot project “is indeed restricted to taxicab operators only, and not Uber operators,” said a note from Paul Sabo, an operational planning and policy engineer with the city.
Sabo said that under the Toronto Municipal Code, only a taxicab, “the owner of which is licensed by the City of Toronto to operate within the city” meets the definition required to park in front of designated hydrants.
So Uber and Lyft drivers are out of luck, but it’s not nearly the handicap it might seem. Who hasn’t parked in front of a hydrant and then skedaddled when a parking enforcement officer came along?
The fact is, anybody can park in front of a hydrant, as long as they stay with their vehicle and hit the road before the officer can tag them for it. Which means there’s more air than anything else to this new regulation.