Parking on many Toronto streets can feel like a chore at times, but municipal staff say they want to embark on a pilot project that would work to simplify the messaging to drivers in a bid to make regulations easier to understand.
However, the task of getting buy-in from drivers might be a tall order based on the feedback CityNews heard from drivers downtown.
In a report going to the infrastructure and environment committee on Thursday, it’s proposed that city staff carry out the pilot project starting in spring 2026 for up to 18 months at an approximate cost of $150,000.
Nazzareno Capano, a manager with the City of Toronto’s transportation services department, said the proposal came at the direction of council amid ongoing complaints to the municipality about street signs and that a “refresh” is needed.
“It’s somewhat confusing for a lot of motorists out there when they look to see whether they can park at the curbside or not given that sometimes signs are difficult to read. Sometimes there’s a multitude of parking restrictions on a single pole and it’s hard to interpret what restriction actually applies to them,” he told CityNews.
“We’re looking to consolidate some of these signs on a single sign, from most restrictive to least restrictive, so it’s easier to interpret.”
In 2024, drivers were issued more than 1.8 million tickets for violating curbside regulations like no parking, no stopping or no standing. It’s not clear what percentage of those tickets is attributed to confusing signage alone.
City staff cited an example on Richmond Street West just west of Duncan Street in downtown Toronto where there are four signs on a pole saying there is no parking to the east of the pole, no stopping during the morning and afternoon rush hours during the week, no standing between 2 and 6 a.m. Friday to Monday, and a Green P sign outlining when paid parking is in effect.
CityNews asked two random drivers to interpret the signs. The first resident said it wasn’t clear.
“It says paid parking and no parking, so I don’t know,” she said.
“So from 3:30 to 6:30 I guess you can’t park there … no standing, are you not allowed to stand there?” a second resident said.
Under the new proposed signage, all of the no stopping, no parking and no standing regulations would be consolidated on one large sign and beside it would be a separate sign with Green P information. The new proposed signs are larger than what’s currently in place and some of the text is bigger.
The first resident CityNews spoke with said there is a bit more clarity on the proposed sign, but noted there’s a difficulty if you’re in your car driving by.
“You just see no stopping, you wouldn’t go into the detail for 7:30 to [9:30] and if I’m looking for parking in the city, I’ll see if it’s parking or no parking,” she said.
“No stopping, no… I think it’s just too much. I think people will just move on,” the second resident said, adding it still looks confusing.
Other proposed signage types include updating information signs like ones with Green P and adding electronic signs that can be changed to warn of snow routes in effect or towing operations.
If the pilot project gets approved, Capano said they’ll finalize a list of locations downtown and elsewhere in Toronto to be included in the pilot project and a list of locations will be released in early 2026.
As for what will determine if the pilot project is successful, Capano said they’ll look at a few different metrics.
“Seeing that ticketing may have gone down at that particular location, it kind of will let us know that potentially people are starting to understand the restrictions a little better and are complying as well as some general feedback and response from the public,” he said.
When asked about the cost, Capano said it includes the actual signage, crews to carry out the work, monitoring the locations throughout the duration of the pilot project, and public consultation processes.
