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Toronto Police Get Smart

By Marc Lostracco

police_smart.jpg
Their hulking frames are sure to strike fear into parking offenders everywhere—the new Toronto Police Services’ smart fortwo! As part of a pilot project which also includes two Honda Civic hybrids, the two diesel-powered smarts [sic] are an initiative that uses vehicles that are not only more environmentally-friendly, but easier to park and navigate. The program began last month and the TPS has also been testing roof-mounted infrared cameras for parking enforcement, which will automatically record the license plates of parking offenders, vastly reducing the time spent ticketing each vehicle.
The smart pilot program will proceed until February, and since the cars can be operated both in standard and automatic mode with the push of a button, they require minor training to operate. At a little over two-metres long(!) and with a sphere-like frame that offers tremendous impact strength, the cars are safer than they look (as seen in this fascinating high-speed crash test). Not that the new parking enforcement vehicles are going to be spending much time on the highway—they’ll be showing up right next to yours when you just had to run in for an itty-bitty second to pick up some milk.
Photo by Marc Lostracco

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Comments

  • the2scoops

    I spotted one of them zipping downtown the other day. Hope the pilot works as I imagine the parking authority vehicles cover alot of asphalt.
    I still do a double take when I see one on the highway. It just never occurs to me that something so tiny can get up to highway speed.

  • Marc Lostracco

    I’ve driven the AutoShare smarts, and aside from having no back seat and being a bit loud, they’re remarkably solid and easy to drive, even on the highway. What’s really freaky is that you’re basically sitting right by the back windshield, so if someone’s tailgating you, it’s way scarier because it seems like they’re right behind your shoulders. I hate tailgaters with a passion.
    Anyway, I’m totally digging the old-school black-and-white police car theme. I think these are second in coolness only to Toronto’s famous paramedic SUVs. They should have used this swooping colour motif on the regular Crown Vics instead of the new Web 2.0 cruiser design.

  • Ben

    There should really be more parking enforcement. I am sure that a parking enforcement officer should be able to offset their own salary with the value of the tickets they are giving out.
    Also, I don’t see why they need cars for this job downtown. In Ottawa, they walked the downtown beat all year long.

  • Sherry Giles

    Very cool!

  • Mark Dowling

    Ben
    I have never lived anywhere where you get away with illegal parking as infrequently as in Toronto. I wonder what *more* enforcement would be like!

  • Marc Lostracco

    If there is more enforcement coming, I’d rather see them tagging people hardcore for parking in the damn bike lanes. Last week, I watched a parking enforcement officer drive right by a car sitting in a bike lane and tag the one a few metres in front of it that was in a legitimate (though expired) parking spot.

  • Carly Beath

    If there is more enforcement coming, I’d rather see them tagging people hardcore for parking in the damn bike lanes.
    Yes please! This morning I saw a cyclist yelling at the driver of a Canada Post truck who was in the bike lane. As the truck driver pulled away she was fiddling with one of those signature devices. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see her running over a cyclist. Not long ago on the same corner, I saw a guy parked with his four-ways on as he sauntered back from Tim Horton’s. Yes, force cyclists out into traffic so you can get your coffee 30 seconds faster. I can’t stand drivers who think bike lanes are there for them if they need them – one almost ran me over at lunch today. Grr.

  • Wordfreak

    I’ve seen a parking enforcement vehicle parked in a bike lane. I didn’t know who to call. If it were one of these Smart cars, I’d have asked a few friends come and help me lift it to a more appropriate location.

  • M

    Good thing they don’t have Greyhound decals on them.

  • Mark Dowling

    interesting thought there wordfreak…

  • Shawn S.

    Ben, I gotta agree with Mark here. Toronto certainly has to be maxed out on parking enforcement. These guys are like CityTV, they are EVERYWHERE. Any time I’ve ever made a mistake reading a sign, I’ve gotten a ticket. I have a lot of respect and fear for their robot-like quality.

  • Paige

    ..and yet… if you have a permit for Little Italy area and try and park after 8pm Thurs-Saturday the same out-of-towners are taking up all permit spots because the $30 ticket is still cheaper than cabbing it home.
    (There are at least 10 ticketed cars on my street at any given time…)
    The fines should be much, much higher! Think of the money the city could make!!

  • A-man

    honestly, the police are here when you don’t want them to be, but they are gone when you need them. In our neighborhood (which is fairly busy), my mom runs the same stop sign over and over again, and has never been ticketed once. then, one day, we were pulled over because the police thought my brother, who was riding in the back, didn’t have his seatbelt on (it’s a two-point seatbelt, so it’s understandable). We were still ticketed, however, even though the police had been watching us the entire time and my brother had not made any movement indicating hastily putting on a seatbelt. looks like the “to serve and protect” motto was in full swing. they “served” us an injustice, while “protecting” us from our rights. I hate TPS.

  • Lily

    Paige, we don’t need more expensive fines, we do need City Hall to loosen up on their rules on who can or cannot build a parking pad in front of their houses. I’m dismayed with how many home owners have to ‘fight’ for a spot on the streets when they could easily have a spot on their front yard. I was planning on buying a house at one point that had no parking, but plenty of space on the front yard, so I went on to City Hall to see what I need in order to build one and have a permit issued. I was advised right away that that area didn’t allow for a parking pad.
    Last time I was in Little Italy the only Public Parking option available was $15… and they still complain they don’t have enough money…

  • Marc Lostracco

    Parking pads are hideous and environmentally horrible. The less of them, the better. The rules against them aren’t strong enough, AFAIK.