Toronto may give car-sharing companies neighbourhood parking permits

A proposed pilot project could allow far more vehicles run by car-sharing companies to park on neighbourhood streets with the same rights as residents.

City transportation staff are recommending a one-year pilot project that would provide permits for up to 2,000 "free-floating" shared cars — like those run by companies such as Car2go, Enterprise CarShare and others — so they can park overnight on streets that are currently restricted, and for more than three hours at a time during the day.

• Residents want car2go to stop taking parking spots on their streets

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How much companies will pay for the permits will be discussed as part of the city's budget process 

Car-sharing reduces the need for people to own cars and is environmentally-friendly, staff note in a report about the project. But the report also warns the pilot must be "carefully balanced" so it doesn't disrupt residential on-street parking — which costs car-owning Torontonians some $200 each per year.

Coun. Ana Bailao says she wants people who already have permits to be able to find a spot, but as the city grows it needs to embrace things like car-sharing. 

"The reality is if 100 per cent of our population have cars, we don't have parking for everybody," she told CBC Toronto.

"We need to create alternatives," she said.

Critics across the city have being raising concerns since last summer about clusters of car-sharing vehicles leaving drivers without spots.

Toronto is now Car2go's most active car-sharing city.- Mike Silverman, Car2go spokesperson

That's when Car2go, which runs a fleet of some 430 vehicles, mostly blue and white Smart cars, began telling its customers to park on residential streets ("Park for free in Toronto," its website boasts.) The company then had workers go move the cars before they were ticketed — although a manager told CBC Radio's Metro Morning that it was still getting tickets, and paying them.

The city already designates some on-street spaces specifically for vehicles displaying a car-share vehicle permit.

"I see them a lot. I actually think it's great," said Craig Lewis, walking past several Enterprise vehicles parked in a designated area on Mutual Street, just south of Dundas.

Then again, Lewis says while he owns 10 bicycles, his drivers' licence has expired.

Car2go has 65k users in Toronto

Behind the scenes, Car2Go has been lobbying councillors, staff and the mayor's office for several years, city records show. The goal has been to change the permit structure so the vehicles can park in "any available and legal residential street parking spots."

Car2go spokesperson Mike Silverman declined an interview ahead of next week's debate on the pilot project, but in an email statement said the city is "well-suited" for car-sharing.

"Toronto is now Car2go's most active car-sharing city of the 26 cities around the world in which we offer our service," Silverman said, noting some 65,000 people in the city have signed up.

Previously, Car2go management said the company's goal isn't to cause congestion, but to get as close as possible to its customers, as cars tucked into parking lots tend to be out of sight and out of mind.

• Metro Morning | Car2go management discusses how it deals with parking issues

"As long as you end your trip in any approved public, on-street parking space, you're good to leave the car and go," Car2go's website tells drivers.

However, they're also urged not to park anywhere there are restrictions: "Since you never know when another Car2go member will use the car next, a trip should never be ended in a further restricted parking space regardless of when the restriction begins or ends," the site states.

Pilot could start next spring

While Car2Go is among the biggest players right now, the city report on the pilot project notes: "it is likely that more companies will seek to operate under a similar free-floating model in Toronto in the future."

If approved, first by the public works committee and then by city council, the pilot project would have some interesting requirements, including one for the companies to share data about how people are using their service.

Companies will be forced to move clusters of their vehicles within two hours of being notified about a problem.

The year-long pilot would begin on March 1, 2018. A maximum of 2,000 vehicles would get the permits, with no more than 500 being allotted per organization.