Rocco Rossi wants to end 'gotcha' moments in Toronto parking Special

Toronto - Toronto mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi and Ward 29 councillor candidate Jennifer Wood spoke in the city's Greek Town to lay out their latest platform when it comes to parking enforcement, which would inevitably end the "gotcha" moments.

Many Torontonians describe parking enforcement in the city as both unfair and a hidden tax. Parking enforcement has been a mute issue during the Toronto mayoral campaign, until Thursday when mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi and Ward 29 councillor candidate Jennifer Wood spoke out about the parking issue. On Thursday afternoon, Rossi and Wood held a press conference in front of the Danforth Greek Town restaurant “Sandweechee” where they outlined their plans to help evolve the city’s parking and make it fairer for Torontonians. Rossi noted that parking enforcement in the city has nothing to do with safety, regulations or reducing congestion but rather it is a method of generating more revenue for the municipal government: “We want to remove the ‘gotcha’ moment that frustrates all of us – that moment when you’re ticketed for being 5 minutes late back to your car – in favour of kinder, gentler enforcement,” said Rossi. Wood – endorsed by Rossi for her candidacy – explained the proposal: - Mandatory grace period: During off-peak hours, drivers will be given a grace period of approximately 10 minutes and will be for pay-and-display metres. This is meant to make the parking system “less frustrating and more reasonable.” - A new appeal system by mail or online: Drivers who receive parking tickets are able to fight the ticket by submitting information online or by mail. Wood noted that will be more efficient, convenient and “will save the city money through a reduction in labour costs.” - Temporary overnight parking passes: Toronto residents, under Rossi’s plan, will be able to purchase these passes online or over the phone for a fee. Now homeowners will not have to buy week-long passes for a family member or a friend who is just staying for one night or a weekend. “My campaign is about bringing new ideas and new blood to City Hall – candidates like Jennifer Wood, who is running for council for the first time right here in Ward 29,” said Rossi. “Last week I announced my Toronto Good Ideas Foundation to encourage Torontonians to come forward with new ideas to make our city better.”