Say NO to TTC Parking Fees

This petition will remain open until further notice.  As per TTC's Report dated February 25, 2004 (available on TTC's website), the TTC conducted a similar experiment in January 2003, when they removed the free parking at commuter lots after 3:00pm and on weekends.  They conducted studies in March, June and October of 2003 and reversed this decision because lot usage declined significantly (dropped by approximately 69%) after the introduction of the new pricing policy.  The reversal took effect in April 2004.

Please Note:  We have already sent 3 letters dated February 26, March 11 and March 30 to Mayor Miller, TTC Chair Giambrone and all of the TTC Commissioners.  They are aware of this petition.  It has been in the Toronto Star, Mississauga News, Global TV News, Toronto Metro News, City News and thanks to Angelo Oddi (one of the many people who signed the petition), it was mentioned on CBC News, CBC Radio and Citytv Online.  There is a lot of attention around this petition and many important people are keeping their eye on it.
Together we CAN make a difference!

Effective April 1, 2009, the Toronto Transit Commission will be charging commuters who park their cars at designated subway parking lots a fee.  This will result in the elimination of the free Metropass parking that is currently available at these lots.  The plan is to charge all parkers a daily rate between $3-$12 with the majority of the spots at $6 per day, regardless of whether you purchase a monthly Metropass.  Even if you don't have a Metropass, you may still be affected as the regular price to park your car will go up at majority of the lots!

This is not right!  We should say NO to the new TTC Parking Fees!

TTC commuter lot parkers who pay for their parking through the purchase of a Metropass are being environmentally responsible by taking public transit and yet they are being stricken with additional costs for taking this measure for the benefit of society!

Currently the cost of a monthly TTC Metropass is $109.00, or $1,308 annually. The proposed parking costs equate to approximately $1,512 ($6/day x 5 days per week x 4.2 weeks per month x 12 months) in addition to the cost of riding the TTC and this additional cost for parking is not tax deductible.  Most people are already having a difficult time making ends meet, asking riders to pay this increase will result in economic hardships for many.  

Eliminating Metropass parking will force more people to drive directly to their work place as this option will become more economical when factoring in the cost of parking, cost of taking the transit, commuting time, reliability and convenience.  This will result in a negative impact on the environment, particularly the air quality, as well as the traffic congestion that Toronto is already experiencing.  The TTC continues to advertise to draw in more riders but through this decision they will in fact be turning them away.  This will result in the TTC losing money as well as the affected riders.  These clients will stop purchasing a Metropass, they will discontinue use of the public transit system altogether and opt for driving directly to their destination.  This truly is a NO-WIN situation!

For the sake of the environment as well as for the riders who rely on both their vehicle and the TTC to commute to their place of employment, the TTC needs to reverse their decision to eliminate free Metropass parking. 

Other transit services, such as the GO and VIA Rail, do not charge parking fees.....why is the TTC planning to gouge us for more money when we are already paying a premium to park by investing in a Metropass which most commuters only use two times per day, five times per week.  In fact, commuters who park at the subway stations continue to purchase the monthly Metropass even during times of absence, such as vacation, illness, etc., when we are not using the TTC at all, just to be able to maintain the free parking for when we return to work.

Again.....this is not right! We should say NO to the new TTC Parking Fees!!

This is where you can sign and voice your opinion against the decision to charge responsible TTC Metropass Commuters parking fees.  Please send this petition to as many people as you know who could be directly impacted by this, or people who know of other people who could be directly impacted by this or if you just think charging these ridiculous fees is wrong!

Please act as quickly as possible.  We need to get as many signatures as possible.

We need to voice our opinions.....we have to tell them this is not right!!!

Please call/write TTC Chair Adam Giambrone at:
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West, Suite C42
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Phone: 416-392-7012
Email: councillor_giambrone@toronto.ca

Please call/write Mayor David Miller at:
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Phone: 416-397-2489
Email: mayor_miller@toronto.ca

Please also write a complaint on TTC's website:
http://www3.ttc.ca/Contact_Us/Complaints_Compliments_Suggestions/Suggestions_complaint.jsp

Thank you in advance for your time in reading this petition and all of your efforts in spreading the word.

Alicia Villar and Emesh Aube