Car2go to Toronto city councillors: let our customers park overnight
Lisa Naccarato | CBC News | Posted: April 12, 2016 9:00 AM | Last Updated: April 12, 2016
Car2go now allows its users to park on the street but needs council's permission for overnight parking
Ride sharing service car2go is back at Toronto city hall urging council to allow its customers to park its cars overnight on neighbourhood streets, just six months after councillors rejected a similar request from the company.
Late last month, after trying and failing to get council to establish new parking regulations for shared vehicles, car2go went ahead with a plan to allow day-time street parking while it works on a long term solution.
The company now allows its customers to park its cars on the street as long as they adhere to the rules as they're laid out on parking signs. Before, car2go required its users to park the cars at Green P parking lots or in designated car2go parking spots around the city.
"I think they are coming right up to the edge of the rules without crossing it," said Coun. Stephen Holyday, who sits on council's public works and infrastructure committee. That committee rejected car2go's request for overnight street parking last November.
Right now, car2go tracks how long a vehicle has been static and will send out a mover to relocate it before it can be ticketed.
"I don't have a problem with anyone driving a car2go, parking their car and following the signs as long as they adhere to that three hour by-law," Holyday told CBC News.
What the ride sharing service ultimately wants from the city is a universal permit allowing its customers to park the company's 430 smartcars overnight on residential streets — similar to the permit the company has in cities like Montreal and Vancouver.
But Holyday, the councillor for Ward 3 in Etobicoke, doesn't want to take spaces away from homeowners.
"We've got residents coming in looking for a front yard parking pad because they are so frustrated looking for a parking spot."
However, car2go regional director Nick Hill, who is meeting with city councillors this week, said overnight street parking is the kind of convenience that encourages more people to use the service instead of owning a car — freeing up parking spaces.
"To maximize our technology is to ensure our users can park where they work, live and play and not be restricted to dedicated parking areas spread broadly throughout town."