Newmarket pay-it-forward parking ticket program gets go-ahead

Details have still to be worked out, but program could launch in December

Newmarkettoday.ca
November 8, 2019
Kim Champion

Drivers who run afoul of minor parking rules in Newmarket may soon be able to pay it forward by donating to a good cause instead of being hit with the full cost of the ticket.

Council gave the thumbs-up to the feel-good educational parking program Monday, a first for the town that will see bylaw enforcers issue courtesy tickets during certain times of the year for a specified time frame.

Those occasions could include Christmas and other holidays celebrated locally, as well as the beginning of the school year, times when the town has issued warnings for minor parking infractions as an educational initiative.

Details of the innovative program still need to be worked out, but Newmarket’s elected officials embraced the idea of supporting a worthy cause that also encourages local and visiting drivers to obey the town’s parking laws.

The idea originally included a variety of local charities to which drivers could donate an amount of their choosing, but based on suggestions from Mayor John Taylor, the program may eventually roll out to include a reduced fine for parking infractions, with a voluntary option to donate to the town’s Creating Accessible Recreation for Everyone (CARE) fund. That program aims to allow residents of all ages the opportunity to participate in recreational programming by offering them financial assistance.

A report on the pay-it-forward parking ticket program prepared by regulatory services manager Flynn Scott, notes that the town receives many parking-related complaints each year. The department’s eight full-time parking enforcement officers respond to formal complaints and conduct proactive patrols of specific parking-related offences.

“Regulatory services recognizes the contentious nature of parking enforcement and the demand for services to monitor and respond to parking issues throughout the community,” Scott said. “While enforcement through ticketing can be compulsory, achieving voluntary compliance through public education is a key objective of the (department).”

Several councillors agreed that parking tops the list of concerns among constituents in their wards.

Councillor Christina Bisanz, who represents Ward 7 in the northwest corner of Newmarket, said she has heard about some bad situations where people are parking in a hazardous way, and safety should be paramount with the new program.

“We experience some of the highest rates of complaints concerning parking,” Bisanz said. “Some residents are looking for more parking, many others are upset or angry about people parking beyond the time allowed, parking in the wrong place, or parking in fire zones.”

“I want to be cognizant that we’re not enabling people to break the law -- and that there could be a backlash from residents,” she said. “I’m very much in favour of this and want to make sure this isn’t a Hail Mary that goes on and on, but rather this is a one-time notice and after that, we’ll be ticketing people.”

The program will be targeted at specific times of the year for specific durations, and it will also be strategic in ensuring safety is not impacted in any way, Scott said.

“Any safety violations will still be dealt with accordingly through parking enforcement but, overall, we will be looking at ensuring it’s not just as the officer sees fit to leave a courtesy notice, it will be organized through the department and strategic,” he added.

Other concerns raised by council members about a pay-it-forward parking program include how to deal with repeat parking offenders, what streets in Newmarket would qualify for the program, what parking infractions would qualify, and how to track the voluntary donations made by those let off the hook.

The potential revenue loss for running the program between Dec. 14 and Jan. 2 is estimated to be about $13,000, the report states. But there would be no new administrative costs if the program is handled entirely in-house.

It was decided at Monday’s committee of the whole meeting that town staff would incorporate council’s suggestion of having its CARE fund be the beneficiary of voluntary donations, as well as refine other details of how exactly the pay-it-forward parking program would be executed.

The program is expected to operate as an 18-month pilot project.

An updated report is anticipated to be back before council for approval in November.