I ran in to grab a slice the other day. I was on Bloor St (between Bathurst and Spadina) in Toronto. I bought a ticket, but my butt end was hanging out due to poor snow removal. I wound up getting a $60 fine. The tickets have sky-rocketed. Apparently it used to be $30. The dick who gave me the ticket said, bring it up with the city. Its a no-win situation. My damn slice cost me $62 ($60 ticket + $2 slice)
Parking tickets - beware
- Thread starter Elmer Stud
- Start date
Get ready for a dozen stupid posts saying "don't want to get a ticket, don't park illegally" but I think that the tickets and the soaring prices are making the city less liveable. It's fucking annoying as hell.
I parked in front of my own house yesterday to unload some crap, and I come out after like two minutes and get a $60 ticket. Fucking ridiculous. There should be 2-5 minute parking graces for loading and unloading.
I parked in front of my own house yesterday to unload some crap, and I come out after like two minutes and get a $60 ticket. Fucking ridiculous. There should be 2-5 minute parking graces for loading and unloading.
Mao Tse Tongue said:
just paint the curb in front white and steal one of those loading and unloading signs from the airport. they will never know the difference.
I went to plead not guilty to one of my parking tickets today, the line up was huge...I just left....now I know why...I guess everybody is doing the same 60 bucks is too much for a parking ticket...my ticket is $30.00 and I think even that is too much for a 10 minute expired meter.
I noticed downtown today those ticketers were out in full force.
I noticed downtown today those ticketers were out in full force.
This city just continues to suck. I've lived here for just 15 years, but things have really gone downhill.
To those of you who live in other parts of Ontario, where is a really good place to live? I am lucky as my career will fly almost anywhere, so I do not have to be stuck living in a big city.
To those of you who live in other parts of Ontario, where is a really good place to live? I am lucky as my career will fly almost anywhere, so I do not have to be stuck living in a big city.
Plead Not Guilty and wait for your court date. I was recently at one of the offices to register my own not guilty plea and the lady working behind the desk said I will get notification of my court date and it will be in about a year from now.
I AM NOT a laywer but this information filled me with joy because if memory serves me, and the lady behind the counter was sort of surprised that I knew this information when she asked me why I suddenly sported a giant smile, in Canada we are guaranteed the right to a trial within a reasonable amount of time and the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that to amount of time to be generally 8-10 months - how much investigation the case requires plays a role in deciding the length of time the Crown is allowed to push the case off before it becomes unreasonable and I would hazard a guess that a parking ticket is in the lower end of this spectrum of investigation regarding the criminal offense. So when they give you your court date and it is a year or more after the date of your being charged with the offense you are entitled to have your case heard within way less time then that so you may petition the court to have the case thrown out and they most probably will grant your request.
Remember, I said above the clock starts on the day you were charged? I am pretty sure being given the ticket counts as being charged again, I am not a lawyer so you might want to wait 14/15 days to plead because it will just add a little bit of padding to the calendar. Of course the rulings also say that the delay cannot be of the fault of the defense only the Crown but if they give you a trial date a year after and I am correct about it being 10 months as the outside limit 2 weeks still doesn't make a difference because your trial would then have been scheduled 11 1/2 months plus from the date of your being charged rather than a year plus.
Relevant Legal Info I know of that is relevant here:
- Supreme Court of Canada Judgements in R. v. Finta (1994) & R.v. Askov (1990) there are Wikipedia entries for both and the full text of the judgements are published online.
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 7 & Section 11(b)
Good Luck!
Remember if we all plead not guilty to all the tickets issued there is not a snowball's chance in hell they'll be able to keep up with the strain on the courts and the trial dates will only be pushed further and further back making it easier to justify your rights being violated to have a trial within a reasonable amount of time. As well, if everyone fights every parking ticket it will become more cost effective for the city to STOP ticketing because I assure you even if it costs you the fine some $10 court fee it is costing the city WAY MORE to employ the meter maid, the people working at the reception office in the courts, the judges, the interpreters, the prosecuters, the baillifs, the court clerrks, etc. Also if you do go to court thats less time that meter maid has to be out there ticketing someone else. Do your part for the good of society! Haha!
Lawyers or those with more experience on the board please feel free to chime in on this one I am sure we would all appreciate it!
I AM NOT a laywer but this information filled me with joy because if memory serves me, and the lady behind the counter was sort of surprised that I knew this information when she asked me why I suddenly sported a giant smile, in Canada we are guaranteed the right to a trial within a reasonable amount of time and the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that to amount of time to be generally 8-10 months - how much investigation the case requires plays a role in deciding the length of time the Crown is allowed to push the case off before it becomes unreasonable and I would hazard a guess that a parking ticket is in the lower end of this spectrum of investigation regarding the criminal offense. So when they give you your court date and it is a year or more after the date of your being charged with the offense you are entitled to have your case heard within way less time then that so you may petition the court to have the case thrown out and they most probably will grant your request.
Remember, I said above the clock starts on the day you were charged? I am pretty sure being given the ticket counts as being charged again, I am not a lawyer so you might want to wait 14/15 days to plead because it will just add a little bit of padding to the calendar. Of course the rulings also say that the delay cannot be of the fault of the defense only the Crown but if they give you a trial date a year after and I am correct about it being 10 months as the outside limit 2 weeks still doesn't make a difference because your trial would then have been scheduled 11 1/2 months plus from the date of your being charged rather than a year plus.
Relevant Legal Info I know of that is relevant here:
- Supreme Court of Canada Judgements in R. v. Finta (1994) & R.v. Askov (1990) there are Wikipedia entries for both and the full text of the judgements are published online.
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 7 & Section 11(b)
Good Luck!
Remember if we all plead not guilty to all the tickets issued there is not a snowball's chance in hell they'll be able to keep up with the strain on the courts and the trial dates will only be pushed further and further back making it easier to justify your rights being violated to have a trial within a reasonable amount of time. As well, if everyone fights every parking ticket it will become more cost effective for the city to STOP ticketing because I assure you even if it costs you the fine some $10 court fee it is costing the city WAY MORE to employ the meter maid, the people working at the reception office in the courts, the judges, the interpreters, the prosecuters, the baillifs, the court clerrks, etc. Also if you do go to court thats less time that meter maid has to be out there ticketing someone else. Do your part for the good of society! Haha!
Lawyers or those with more experience on the board please feel free to chime in on this one I am sure we would all appreciate it!
woohoo said:
There is a flaw with your theory. You are assuming that the increased costs of ticketing would lead the city to stop ticketing. If they were a private business you'd probably be right. However since they're the government they'll just raise your taxes to cover the increased costs.
Geez...I feel quite the opposite. I think the dammed tickets for MINOR speeding infractions are stupid. The whole goal, is, or should be to keep traffic moving. A few drivers doing 130 or 140 on a 400 series Hyw is no big deal.
BUT....Parking in Toronto is a Very Big Deal. Everyday downtown you see cars illegally parked during rush hour that BLOCK the flow of Traffic...Cause Grid Lock, and infuriate drivers. One minute after 4PM these cars should be towed, and the fine should be $500+.....
People who rudely parked on the streets when the Snow Banks were huge and blocked traffic lanes...Tow 'em and fine them.
You were ticketed, cause your car's bumper was over the line? Big Farking deal. Every summer, Rude drivers visit our area, park on our street, and often, Just a little bit of their car, blocks our driveway.
Tow 'em and Fine the rude buggers.
People's problem with parking, is quite Frankly that they are too lazy to walk a block or so. So, they park illegaly ( and rudely) as close to their destination as possible, and the rest of us be dammed.
These are the nasty drivers who should be gone after.
BUT....Parking in Toronto is a Very Big Deal. Everyday downtown you see cars illegally parked during rush hour that BLOCK the flow of Traffic...Cause Grid Lock, and infuriate drivers. One minute after 4PM these cars should be towed, and the fine should be $500+.....
People who rudely parked on the streets when the Snow Banks were huge and blocked traffic lanes...Tow 'em and fine them.
You were ticketed, cause your car's bumper was over the line? Big Farking deal. Every summer, Rude drivers visit our area, park on our street, and often, Just a little bit of their car, blocks our driveway.
Tow 'em and Fine the rude buggers.
People's problem with parking, is quite Frankly that they are too lazy to walk a block or so. So, they park illegaly ( and rudely) as close to their destination as possible, and the rest of us be dammed.
These are the nasty drivers who should be gone after.
Moraff said:
Moraff: you are bang on. Parking tickets are a pure cash grab for any city.
Do the math: a meter maid can hand out an infinite number of tickets in an hour. The minimum is $20.00 +/- average is more like $30.00 and now some are $300.00. It take them about 2 minutes to print out a ticket x 30 tickets an hour = $600.00 per hour. (assuming they only do the minimum). Now even if they make $35.00 an hour (which isn't unreasonable) x 1.3 (the average cost to the city per hour in benefits etc) that's $45.50 per hour x 7.5 hrs = $341.25 cost per day. Now they take in around $4500.00 in fines. So how on EARTH does it COST them money?
For eg: I was working on site around Seneca College down on Davenport. Classes start around 9, you're not allowed to park on the side streets until 10. So starting at 15 minutes to 10 they go around ticketing all the vehicles. Ok, so now they've just received 60 tickets at $30.00 each EVERY DAY in 15 minutes. Ok, so now they go back at 10 and mark the tires. Since there is a 2 hr limit at noon, they go back and ticket all the marked cars and there's another (on average) 60 x $30.00 because they KNOW the students don't get lunch until 12:15 and even then, may not get to their vehicle in time.
In this area they have 1 metermaid and I asked him and he is assigned to these 4 blocks around the school.
For the record I rec'd a ticket there at 9:58 am.
woohoo said:
I have been pleading not guilty to parking tickets (about 20) for the last 3 years and have yet to be sent a court date.
I thought about a good scam, get some expired New York plates and clip them over my existing Ontario plates. When the ticket guy comes he sees the NY plates and goes on to the next car
Then when I get back from shopping I just take the NY plates off again, and away I go
Then when I get back from shopping I just take the NY plates off again, and away I go
Esco! said:I thought about a good scam, get some expired New York plates and clip them over my existing Ontario plates. When the ticket guy comes he sees the NY plates and goes on to the next car
Then when I get back from shopping I just take the NY plates off again, and away I go
Well, he WILL issue a ticket to out of province/state/country plates and if they are expired, he can actually call a tow truck to remove the vehicle. In fact, in the area I described above, there was a vehicle parked there with expired plates, and even though it had a permit plainly visible in the window, the meter maid said it had to be removed that day or it would be towed.
woohoo said:
Yes, we are entitled to trial without unreasonable delay. However, in most cases with parking tickets, a year will not be considered unreasonable. Askov was an important decision that resulted in many parking and traffic tickets being stayed after 6-8 months. The Supreme Court subsequently clarified their ruling in R. v. Morin, outlining various factors that must be considered (more than just time), and it happens much less frequently now.
tboy said:
So what? What about the people who live in the Neighborhood?
If they have no driveway, they must park on their street, right?
So 10am is a reasonable time allow for everyone getting to work, and then the students can park.
Two hours? Again reasonable. What about the business in the area? Should not a customer be allowed to park, shop ( Spend money) and then leave.
What do the students do for the neighborhood but clog up the streets.
In fact, Students are just the excact group that public transit is good for.
They come downtown...stay a full or half day...and then go home.
Why would they need a car?
Now, as you said, You were working on a site. Probably you need tools, equipment, the opportunity to Hit Home depot for supplies...etc.
Why should you be inconvienenced while working?
If the students were dicouraged from parking..then life would be easier for tradesmen, salesmen, courriers...
as for the original parking ticket in the thread, if you were parked legally with a ticket and you were charged with parking illegally go to court you will win, if you were ticketed for blocking the road due to poor snow clearing take a picture and go to court.for most of the other items like I just ran in for a minute to unload, if you were in a no parking zone you are fine, the definition of no parking includes a grace period for unloading, if it was a fire route or a no stopping zone you are beat. No standing is problamatic but if you were under 5 minutes you could probably win. The city of toronto changed the process for appling for court dates several years ago , you used to be able to mail in your request for a trial but to many people were winning so they changed it to a personal appearance requirement. The clerck is ussally alone and working slowly for some reason known only to the city hall bean counters.
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