Uber-quick fix

City officials take quick action to address downtown food-delivery and pick-up concerns, create additional short-term parking spots

LOOKING TO QUELL recent ― and rising ― concerns about food-delivery vehicles (everything from ticketing to congestion to accessibility issues) the city is adding more than a dozen new short-term parking spots throughout the downtown.

The new spots provide clearly identifiable locations for customers and food delivery drivers when they are making quick food and parcel pickups.

“We’ve heard from businesses that they need clear and convenient areas for their customers and delivery services,” says Orest Katolyk, chief municipal law enforcement officer. “We’ve done our best to fill those requests, balancing the need for safety as well. In identifying these locations, we’ve considered pedestrian safety, transit, emergency services, traffic flow and accessibility.”  

Over the past few weeks, several core-area restaurant owners have raised concerns over what they considered to be aggressive ticketing of bylaw officers of their customers and food-delivery drivers. Tickets were handed out to vehicles stopped along Dundas Place, the city’s flex-street.

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New signage is being installed at locations that were identified through requests from businesses. According to the city, where cars are parked in a way that impedes traffic or poses safety risks, tickets will be issued. In other instances, parking services officers will use their discretion to determine whether enforcement is required.

The new short-term parking locations are being implemented through the city’s Back to Business (B2B) team, a temporary initiative designed to provide rapid and flexible responses to businesses’ requests associated with safely serving their customers during the pandemic.