Blocking part of a public road to build a condominium is an unfair, congestion-causing practice that should end in Toronto, a city councillor says.
Josh Matlow said developers pay the city an upfront fee only $500 to block a lane, plus a "very minimal" monthly amount thereafter for each cubic square metre they occupy.
"For them, this is peanuts," the St. Paul’s councillor said in an interview, adding many downtown and midtown streets have lost lanes and sidewalks for years as a result.
"It’s costing our economy and our quality of life every day."
Matlow and John Filion, a North York councillor whose ward sees plenty of condo construction, are asking city council this week to call for an investigation on whether this practice can end.
"This usage of our streets causes bottlenecks, backing up traffic several blocks on major arterial roads," it says, "and can lead to inconvenient and, in some cases, unsafe conditions for pedestrians and cyclists."
If there are situations where construction must block a lane or sidewalk, Matlow wants the city to charge higher fees, and as added incentive, escalating the charges after each month the public area stays closed.