Some may see it as ‘cash grab’, others may see it as justice served – but drivers who choose to park illegally in Montreal may soon see a significant increase in fines for doing so. Not respecting the following regulations where parking is prohibited, drivers could receive tickets for the infractions which will have them digging much deeper into their pockets to pay them:
The present fine for parking illegally on the street will jump from $62 to $78. If your car is found parked in a reserved lane, the present fine of $150 will increase to a whopping $302. The fine for parking illegally in a designated, disabled parking spot will remain the same at $300. The new proposed parking fines will voted on at City hall on April 15th.
The city could collect up to an additional $11 million in revenues this year from illegal parking – if drivers continue doing so at the same frequency. Mayor Valerie Plante said in a CTV report that ‘the money will be reinvested in security and mobility’, but she ‘would prefer to see drivers respect parking signs to improve safety and traffic flow’. This is the second consecutive year parking fines have been increased, and there is still one big concern not yet fully addressed by the city – and that is the highly confusing parking signs that leave many drivers scratching their heads, not knowing what to do and it is unfair, especially if they receive a ticket when they were led to believe they parked legally.
