More parking payment options are coming to Toronto streets

Eight years after the old pay-and-display parking machines first appeared on Toronto streets and the launch of the Green P app, more changes are in the works for drivers.

New pay-as-you-go parking meters with touchscreens and no ticket to display are being touted as “user-friendly” as a new pilot program introduces cashless transactions.

But should the Parking Authority curb some of the programs it's considering?

“It's all about giving the customer choice and speed, as they can make payments with a tap, debit, credit or QR code,” said Jeffrey Dee, vice president of business development for the Toronto Parking Authority. noted that current parking machines are nearing the end of their service life.

“They've been on the street for about 20 years, so we know they need to be replaced, and we're putting in state-of-the-art technology,” he said.

Last September, the City Council approved a one-year pilot program where drivers pay only through the Green P app on their phones. A staff report noted that usage of the app has grown from 49 percent when it was first introduced in 2016 to more than 75 percent last year with more than 1.6 million subscribers. The Parking Authority estimates that app usage will reach nearly 80 percent this year and 85 percent by the end of 2025. While mobile use for parking is increasing, the number of people using pay and display parking machines continues to decline.

Starting next month, the pilot program will install 13 “Cellphone Only” zones in downtown Toronto and North York, where the Green P app will be widely used and parking will be limited.

In addition to implementing the pilot program, the Parking Authority continues to spend money to replace aging on-street parking machines after admitting that a number of on-street parking lots do not generate enough revenue to cover operating and capital costs. So far, the agency has spent $2 million to replace 225 machines with another 2,500, meaning the cost could exceed $20 million.

The move to purely cashless transactions has raised concerns about excluding the elderly, those without access to technology, and those in lower income brackets.

“When we make all these changes, we have to make sure that we're spending our money wisely and that no one is being left out, and I think that needs to be looked at systematically,” Kuhn said. Paula Fletcher.

In a letter to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee last fall, Con. Josh Matlow expressed similar concerns about the Mobile Zone program, asking that “no one be left behind and careful steps be taken to ensure reasonable housing.”

The Parking Authority will gather feedback on the mobile zone program before making proposals to scale up or down.