Get ready to pay more for street parking—but receive fewer parking tickets

Local automobilists, listen up: the Toronto Parking Authority wants to hike the rates for street parking. The cost to park on city streets hasn’t changed since 2007, so the authority has asked the city for increases to keep up with inflation. If the government management committee agrees to the plan next week, street parking that currently costs $2 an hour will get bumped up to $2.25; $2.50 spots will cost $3; and $3.50 spots will jump to $4. Altogether, that should result in an extra $4 million a year for the TPA, a healthy chunk of which will go to the city. But there’s no need to shout “war on cars!” just yet—city staff are also mulling over doubling the five-minute grace period for drivers who go over their paid parking time. [National Post]