A reader says that signs like these, in Green P parking lots along the western beaches, must be reviewed as closely as income tax law before it becomes clear that parking is free on weekdays but must be paid for after 5 p.m., which seems counter-intuitive.
A reader says that signs like these, in Green P parking lots along the western beaches, must be reviewed as closely as income tax law before it becomes clear that parking is free on weekdays but must be paid for after 5 p.m., which seems counter-intuitive.
Take a hard look at signs in Green P lots along the western beaches, before putting any money into the machine. You may be paying for free parking.
We put a lot of faith in signs that tell us to do this, that or the other. You can’t go wrong if you obey the signs, or so we believe. After all, this here is Canada. And Canadians do what they’re told.
But what if the sign is all about paying and obscures the free part, when no dough is necessary?
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Then a lot of people will pay for parking because the sign is worded in a way that makes it seem like they should pay when they don’t have to, and that they’ll get a ticket if they don’t.
Silvano Del Rio forwarded me an email sent to Mayor John Tory, saying he mistakenly paid at a Green P parking lot along the western beaches, because a sign showing the hourly rates did not clearly indicate that parking was free.
He arrived just after 12 p.m. on Sept. 14, looked at the sign, and “assumed the cost for parking was $1.00 for each half-hour,” he said, adding that he “purchased a ticket for a little over one hour and paid $2.25 by credit card.
“When I saw the receipt I received, I noticed the time shown ended at 18:07 (6:07 p.m.), which did not make sense. Only after reviewing the sign as if it were the Income Tax Act did I realize that parking at that time of the day was actually free.”
He asked for a refund of the $2.25 and that the Toronto Parking Authority, which operates Green P lots, “remove the sign and replace it with a different sign where it is made clear that parking is free Monday to Friday, from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., as the badly worded sign actually says.”
I toured parking lots along the western beaches and spotted at least nine signs the same as the one that duped Del Rio, some of which have other signs nearby warning of a $75 fine for overtime parking or not paying.
At the top of the rate signs it says “Paid Parking” Monday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. It then goes on to detail the rates.
The designated times seem counterintuitive. I’d guess most people would assume parking must be paid for during the day but is free in the evening, as is the case on many city streets. In fact, it’s the opposite.
The current signs must indeed be reviewed like tax law to make sure they’re correctly understood. Only after perusing every word on the top half of the sign does a customer discover that no parking is allowed from midnight until 6 a.m., or the magic words “Free Parking at Other Times.”
Wouldn’t it be more transparent and honest if the sign said free parking from 6 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. on weekdays, right up at the top?
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It has me wondering how much revenue is collected each year from people who paid for parking when they didn’t have to because they misunderstood the signs.
STATUS: I sent a note to the Toronto Parking Authority, asking it to consider replacing the signs with others that make it clear about times when parking is free, and got the following reply: “The TPA is committed to providing customers with safe, convenient, and accessible parking facilities, and to ensuring the best possible parking payment experience.
“The parking lot in question is one of several lots the TPA operates for the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation on a seasonal basis from May – October. The TPA’s operations at these lots ends on Oct. 31 and payment machines and signs are removed shortly after.
“The TPA has already begun a review of all signage to ensure they are easily understood and will make the parks locations a priority so that clearer signs can be developed and installed before the 2022 May long weekend when operations at these lots resume.”
What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter
Jack
Lakey What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in
Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer
on Twitter.
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