John Tory's tough-on-traffic crusade targets out-of-province drivers

John Tory announced the second phase of his Get Toronto Moving campaign on Monday, saying that out-of-province parking offenders were next on the list to be towed.

Mayor Tory spoke frequently during the election about towing delivery trucks that block downtown lanes during rush hour. After taking office, he began a massive tag-and-tow operation. Tow trucks could be seen all over the city hauling delivery trucks out of the downtown core.

His next target is out-of-towners who avoid penalties by simply going home after infractions and not paying fines.

Tory's solution is to share information about the number of outstanding parking tickets for vehicles with out-of-province licence plates with parking enforcement officers. Habitual out-of-town offenders will be towed just like locals.

“Earlier this month, my zero-tolerance rush hour towing policy launched and made a real difference in congestion," boasted the mayor. "By expanding this approach to include repeat out-of-province offenders, we are taking concrete action to cut congestion."

All towed vehicles are subject to towing fees of approximately $200 plus daily storage fees of up to $80.

To date, 962 vehicles have towed and 5,806 were ticketed, according to the mayor.