City to add more tow trucks, lower fine amounts for parking bans

Edmonton council backs more towing, lower fines for vehicles left during seasonal parking bans. CTV’s Jeremy Thompson reports.

More tow trucks and smaller fines are on their way for Edmonton drivers who don’t move their vehicles during seasonal parking bans.

City council is trying to find the right formula for effective snow clearing and street-sweeping of its more than 12,000 kilometres of roads, balancing enforcement with education.

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The city has issued at least 2,200 parking tickets in three of the four winters Edmonton has had a seasonal parking ban system.

Ashley Salvador, the councillor representing ward Metis in east Edmonton, said Monday the city wants “to be able to clear streets both in the winter and spring in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.”

“In order to do that, we do need folks to be getting their vehicles out of the streets,” Salvador told media at city hall.

The winter of 2023-24, though, was an exception. The winter was mild enough that the city didn’t issue a parking ban on neighbourhoods roads. Besides, the city had reduced the number of bylaw officers that year to five from 15.

There’s also been no city money for tow trucks the last two winters.

City councillors are moving to change that, giving initial approval to spend $100,000 on tow-truck contracting next winter, paid for, eventually, by property taxes.

They also support reining in the parking fine from $250 to $150, with a further discount for early payments.

“If we scale up enforcement, we need to match it with a fine amount that is reasonable and not punitive,” Erin Rutherford, city councillor for the north-central ward Anirniq, told media.

Residents can sign up for the city’s email/text parking ban warning service.