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DESTROYING THE PUBLIC REALM STREET BY STREET
Above, an actual No Parking sign (one of hundreds)
posted in Toronto's Downtown Waterfront neighborhood.
MOVIES THAT DEMONSTRATE "RULE BENDING"
MOVIE
NUMBER ONE - The Mythology - "There Are No Places On Bus Parking
Lots Left To Park Buses Because Cars Fill Up The Bus Parking Lot" - As
one can see on the video - there is space for 50 to 75 buses on a
nearly empty bus parking lot.
Click here to see this video.MOVIE NUMBER TWO - This movie is shot a few weeks after MOVIE NUMBER ONE. The Mythology - illegally parking has stopped in waterfront neighborhood. As one can see on the video - buses are parking illegally all over the neighborhood - including directly beside No Stopping/No Standing/No Parking signs! While at the same time there is space for 50 to 75 buses on a nearly empty bus parking lot. Click here to see this video.
MOVIE NUMBER THREE - The Mythology - "That buses involved in Harbourfront Centre events - don't park illegally on Queens Quay West - in front of Harbourfront Centre". Click here to see this video on this topic.
MOVIE NUMBER FOUR - Is it all about Rule Bending? This time with empty tractor trailer trucks parked beside No Parking signs. Click here to see this movie.
RULE BENDING 101
There is a serious illegal parking issue on steets adjacent to
Toronto's Downtown Waterfront. Queens Quay West is the only local road
that runs along the downtown waterfront. Consequently, the traffic is
very heavy. Queens Quay West and adjacents streets are clearly posted
with No Parking, No Standing, and in some cases, No Stopping signs.
Despite the hundreds of well positioned NO PARKING, NO STANDING, NO
STOPPING signs in the waterfront neighborhood - buses, cars,
trucks, and taxis are often parked illegally - sometimes for 1, 2, 3
hours or more, at a time. It's not too unusual to see 100's of
illegally parked buses on these streets at one time - in many cases
with motors idling (again illegally). Just as amazing, on many Friday
and Saturday evenings, several hundred illegal parked cars - parked
right in front of NO PARKING signs. Are these buses, trucks, taxis and
weekender cars always given parking infraction tickets, or tickets for
illegally idling or ever towed? The simple answer is ..... no ... or at
best..... seldom! Aside from destroying the Public Realm and the
Livablity and Usability of the neighbourhood - this non ticketing
policy is costing Toronto taxpayers $50,000,000 in lost parking
infraction ticket revenues (over a "life cycle cost" period)!
But more important - what makes many of these bus, trucking, taxi,
waterfront business company executives think that they can park with
impunity in these No Parking zones? The answer is simple - it's all
about "Rule Bending". The self- appointed, self-centered elites (the
rich and rich wannabes) in Toronto understand the unwritten rule - that
when it comes to their needs - all/any rule can be forgotten, stretched
or temporarily dismissed. For example, what's the best way to avoid
ticketing all these illegally parked buses and trucks? Simply forget to
have a parking enforcement officer specifically assigned to the
Toronto's Downtown Waterfront neighborhood - and tour Queens Quay West
(and other neighborhood streets) 2 to 3 times per 8 hour shift - like
other neighborhoods in Toronto. In fact, the standard practise is to
inspect streets even more often - if vehicles are known to be illegally
parked on a regular basis. But even if the Waterfront Neighborhood was
treated in a normal fashion - Queens Quay West would have a parking
infraction officer drive by a minimum of 6 to 9 times in a 24 hour time
period.
What's even stranger - is that if someone illegally parks a car at a
condo - a parking enforcement officer is there in 5 minutes - complete
with tow truck! When a illegal bus parking complaint is phoned into the
Toronto Police - it can take at least 3 hours or more for a parking
enforcement officer to show up! Are the illegally parked buses
ticketed? No! Even though the buses ARE illegally parked when the
parking enforcement officer arrives - the enforcement officer will
simply tell the bus driver to move the bus and no ticket is given. On
top of this, parking enforcement officers don't know the Toronto
parking bylawsregarding buses - and often start quote Provincial
regulations that don't apply to cities!
We often hear that the downtown waterfront is dying because of the
Gardiner expressway. Although the expressway may be a factor (unlikely)
- there are other more pertinent reasons for the lack of usage on
Toronto's downtown waterfront.
We humans are very visual - that is, we rely on our sight to protect
ourselves from harm. Visually - from 2 or 3 blocks north of Front St.
right down to the waterfront proper - is likely the world biggest
transportation storage depot for illegally parked buses, trucks and
other vehicles. Depending on the time of day or night and depending on
which day of the week - visually this zone is a "No Man's (No Woman's,
No Child's) Land" - with parked buses, trucks, and other vehicles (all
not unloading or loading or involved in the film business). This zone
visually says "STAY AWAY"!
Aside from creating the City of Toronto's largest non-zoned illegal
parking lot - this Transportation Storage Depot creates a variety of
negative traffic outcomes. Namely, destroys the flow of traffic along
Queens Quay West. Makes it dangerous for people leaving or entering
legitimate parking facilities. And last but not least - impedes
pedestrian traffic - as empty buses are often parked in cross walks.
More often than not, these illegally parked empty buses makes it
difficult to see cars entering car parking lots - with buses parked
right up to the entrance ramp of official car parking lots!!
There is a long list of urban myths about why its necessary to
illegally park empty tour buses, trucks and other vehicles in
waterfront neighbourhood:
Urban Myth Number One
There are no parking lots for buses - or they exist; but are full of
cars. Not the case - the manager at the official bus lot on
Bremner says that only 3 buses park per week - along with a few trucks
and other vehicles - leaving a near empty lot than can hold 50 to
75 buses!! Then there's Cherry St - it has been set up for bus parking
as well.
Urban Myth Number Two
If chartered buses are forced to pay for bus parking - they won't come
back to Toronto. Nonsense! - legitimate bus companies give their
drivers money to pay for parking. Why? Because everywhere in Canada and
the USA - bus drivers are expected to park there buses in bus parking
lots! And the fee is nearly the same in both countries. So either bus
drivers are pocketing the bus parking fees or the bus company execs are
being unethical (or are being told that they don't need to worry about
parking illegally?)!
Urban Myth Number Three
If buses are told to move from an illegal parking spot - the driver
will simply drive to another No Parking zoned street - and park there.
As well - buses can't be towed - because a giant tow truck is needed.
Nonsense again. Toronto simply has to do what it's sister city does.
Amsterdam locks a massive tire/wheel clamp on one of the tires/wheels
of an illegally parked vehicle. In order to have the clamp removed -
the bus driver would have to go to the Parking Enforcement Office - pay
the parking ticket AND the $135 clamp removal fee! It will not take
long before the Broken Glass Syndrome is reversed!
Urban Myth Number Four
The economy of Toronto will suffer if the illegal bus parking is
stopped in the waterfront neighborhood. Nonsense again. A sustainable
economy for Toronto can only happen - only - if the
Transportation Storage Depot in the Waterfront Neighborhood is stopped
- if it ends! At the same time the City of Toronto needs to stop
Privatizing it's Public Realm!
The Creative Class makes or breaks the sustainable economy of any city.
The Creative Class flourishes in The Public Realm. The Creative
Class doesn't hang out in Transportation Storage Depots/Bus
Stations or massive beer selling venues (Harbourfront Centre). Nor does
the Creative Class hang out in bars, restaurants, and night clubs who
have dozens of TVs on - but none of the staff knows what NBA refers
to!! What! .... bars spitting distance from the Toronto Raptors home
court! They also don't know that a wide screen TV - needs a
wide screen program. Instead the TVs show Toronto Raptors
basketball players who are all 5 foot tall and five feet wide -
with the basketball looking like a football. Should these bush league
businesses be supported in any fashion?
It takes an awful big effort to produce the level of illegal parked
buses down here in my waterfront neighborhood. Is the official Toronto
Tourist Board providing cash incentives or other incentives to the
charter bus drivers or to the bus company execs? Is the 'Board" telling
the charter bus drivers to park in the bus parking lots or anywhere
they want to - or just no information?
MOVIES THAT DEMONSTRATE "RULE BENDING"
MOVIE
NUMBER ONE - The Mythology - "There Are No Places On Bus Parking
Lots Left To Park Buses Because Cars Fill Up The Bus Parking Lot" - As
one can see on the video - there is space for 50 to 75 buses on a
nearly empty bus parking lot.
Click here to see this video.MOVIE NUMBER TWO - This movie is shot a few weeks after MOVIE NUMBER ONE. The Mythology - illegally parking has stopped in waterfront neighborhood. As one can see on the video - buses are parking illegally all over the neighborhood - including directly beside No Stopping/No Standing/No Parking signs! While at the same time there is space for 50 to 75 buses on a nearly empty bus parking lot. Click here to see this video.
MOVIE NUMBER THREE - The Mythology - "That buses involved in Harbourfront Centre events - don't park illegally on Queens Quay West - in front of Harbourfront Centre". Click here to see this video on this topic.
MOVIE NUMBER FOUR - Is it all about Rule Bending? This time with empty tractor trailer trucks parked beside No Parking signs. Click here to see this movie.