Correspondence - City Of Toronto

March 5 2007 Update

An information officer at Access Toronto (416 338-0338) suggested calling the Ward 6 Roads supervisor, Mark Hargot, at 416 394-8453. Jutta called and briefly explained the problem on his voice mail. He called back and explained some of the concerns, including possible loss of revenue for the Toronto Parking Authority on Lakeshore Blvd. He also said that he would be checking into the code that requires a certain number of visitor street-parking spaces per number of residents. Apparently he is not yet familiar with the details of that code.

He said he has been in touch with the Councillor's office about this issue and they plan to set up a meeting with the tenant rep and the councillor's office at some time in the future. Jutta asked that she be included in the meeting, and Mr.Hargot seemed unclear about whether that would be possible, but said that when they set a date she could be notified.

Access Toronto also connected Jutta with the office of John Niedra, Director of Transportation Services for Etobicoke and East York, jniedra@toronto.ca. His assistant then gave Jutta three more names: Al Smithies, Manager of Traffic Planning and Right of Way, asmithie@toronto.ca; Don Pardoe, Supervisor of Right of Way Management, dwpardoe@toronto.ca; and Karen Kirk, Parking Coordinator, klkirk@toronto.ca.

Jutta also asked Access Toronto whether there is an agency or office within the City which is directly concerned with policy affecting seniors -- such as whether their visitors are discouraged from coming because of lack of legal parking near their buildings. However there doesn't seem to be such a listing on the Access Toronto data base.

March 6 2007, from Jutta Mason to Al Smithies, Manager of Traffic Planning and Right of Way, Etobicoke and York

I am writing to you about the need for more on-street parking on 12th Street in Etobicoke.

My mother, Heidi Bechmann, who is 81, lives in a TCHC seniors' building called Lerette Manor, on 12th Street. There are 178 apartment units in the building, and three visitor parking (plus two handicapped) spaces on the property. Within this area there are also many townhouses plus an artists' co-op plus the recent addition of another 10-story building.

In the whole big area there are only about 11 legal street-parking spaces, causing hardship (and parking tickets) for visitors like myself.

Could you let me know if the City has any standards about the number of street-parking spaces needed for visitors, per number of residents? I have been told a number of confusing things by various people:

1. that I will need to gather a petition of names for your department to consider the parking shortage

2. that the pay-parking more than a block away on Lakeshore Blvd. provides the City with income and must not be upstaged by street parking closer to Lerette Manor

3. that the area is a "congested area of traffic" (??)

4. that the bus route which goes past Lerette Manor means only the existing 5 street-parking spaces can be there, although the street is very wide

The streets in that area are wide and empty, the number of units have been drastically increased, and there are seniors who depend on good visitor access from their families -- is the supply of visitor street-parking the responsibility of your department, without the need for Councillor intervention or petitions?