Parking in the wrong place at the wrong time in Montreal will cost even more next year. The City of Montreal will increase by at least 15% the fines related to prohibited parking.
The cost of fines issued to motorists who stop their vehicle in a zone reserved for the disabled or in a reserved lane will increase from $234 to $271 as of January 16, 2023. Parking in double line or in a zone where the stop is prohibited will be liable to a fine of $71, instead of $61. For illegal parking, the fine will increase from $51 to $60.
Added to these sums are the “clerk’s fees” determined by Quebec based on the amount of the fine. Thus, a motorist who parks in a reserved lane runs the risk of receiving a fine totaling $348, if the court fees remain at $77. Double-parking will result in a $100 fine, due to the $29 court clerk fee.
Inflation yes, but also more discipline
Montreal had not increased fines for parking violations since 2020. The City therefore estimates that these increases, which vary from 15.8% to 17.6%, correspond to the inflation projected for the period from 2020 to 2023. .
But beyond this adjustment to the cost of living, Montreal wants to encourage motorists to be more disciplined. “By increasing the rate of fines, the City of Montreal aims to modify the delinquent and problematic behavior of motorists, in order to reinforce the safety of all users on the network, in keeping with the Vision Zero action plan, and to give priority to alternative modes”, underline the decision documents made public by the City.
These increases should generate additional revenue of $9 million for the City of Montreal if the number of offenses remains stable.
In 2018 and 2020, Montreal had applied several successive increases – and sometimes salty – in terms of parking violations, the rates having not been increased since 2009. In 2019, the administration of Valérie Plante had increased from $ 150 $302 for parking fines in reserved lanes.
It is necessary to increase the fines, because still too many motorists are unruly, believes Frédéric Bataille, spokesperson for the Coalition active mobility Montreal. “One of the obstacles to the use of bicycles is that there are a lot of trucks parked in cycle paths and cycle lanes. So, if it can help there to be less, we’re for it. »
According to him, one of the problems with parking on cycle lanes is that the request for a permit to occupy the public domain costs more than the fines imposed on delinquent companies.
Increasing the cost of tickets is not likely to encourage motorists to abandon their cars, Mr. Bataille also believes. Making all on-street parking chargeable would be a much more effective measure, he says.