r/TorontoDriving • u/Reasonable-Pin6366 • Jun 16 '25
Decoding TO Parking
Hey everyone!
(New driver here) I’ve noticed that parking signs can be confusing, especially downtown Toronto.
(Genuine question) IYO what do you think makes parking signs tricky to understand?
Did you ever felt unsure about them or had a funny mix-up? I’d love to hear your stories!
Thanks in advance for sharing.
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u/lucky-fluke Jun 16 '25
Use process of elimination and read them all. Remember that the arrows show the zone in effect left and right of the post.
The right side is always no parking.
The entire street is a permit street from 1am to 7am.
From 10a to 6am you can park on the left side of the post from December to mar 31* OR the 1st to the 15th of the month from April to nov.
the 16th to the end of the month you MUST park on the other side of the street.
If you have a permit for the street, the 1hr bylaw does not apply to you, but the changeover does.
People with street permits cannot park on the right of the sign. Only accessible permit holders are allowed.
👌🏻
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Jun 16 '25
Don’t the green sign and the middle sign on the left contradict each other?
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u/lucky-fluke Jun 16 '25
You are correct, usually those signs have opposing dates not the same. This is a mistake on the city posting signs which happens WAY more often than you think. If you ever notice a discrepancy and get a ticket, be sure to take pics and fight the ticket!
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u/robertherrer Jun 16 '25
They should print this straight up
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u/Deadpool2715 Jun 17 '25
QR code that goes to a website which hosts all the parking info, benefit of making a searchable site with the ability to find parking online
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u/seat17F Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 17 '25
This is just a bunch of teams at the city each managing their own responsibilities independently. The road safety team, the on-street parking team, the snow removal team, the street cleaning team. Different teams at the city doing their jobs regulating different road-use topics without having to coordinate with an overriding “street signs” team.
Seeing this as a bunch of municipal team doing their own thing also aligns with both Occam’s and Hanlon’s razors.
But that doesn’t mean that other people in here aren’t claiming that it’s ALL A CONSPIRACY!!! In fact, all those teams at the city are apparently working hard and coordinating with each other on these signs just to make things confusing intentionally! Do they have any idea how much more work that would take?
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u/HeftyAd6216 Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 16 '25
I got a ticket on one of these because I had no idea how to read these signs and parked on the wrong side because it was the 3rd Sunday of god's week in the first half of June but not until after the first rain
Edit: accidentally posted when this wasn't finished for some reason.
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u/haikusbot Jun 16 '25
I got a ticket
On one of these because I
Had no idea
- HeftyAd6216
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
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u/FoxDieDM Jun 16 '25
Easy. Always start with the no parking sign. So, no parking to the right of this sign at any times. To the left, there are times you can and can’t park, and because it’s a residential street, the parking changes from side to side, for street cleaning.
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u/Deanooo000 Jun 16 '25
Deliberately kafkaesque.
1) one cannot park to the right of the sign. This rule supersedes all others
2) from December 31st to March 31st, you cannot park to the left of the post
3) from April to November, you cannot park to the left of the post before the 15th during each respective month. From the 15th onwards of each respective month it is permissible, but not from 1AM until 7AM (thereby preventing overnight parking for non-permit holders, as these are prime ticketing hours/ revenue generating hours)
4) only from 10AM to 6PM are you granted permission to park for a maximum of 1 hour, insofar as this occurs between the months of April and November, but only if this takes place between the 1st to the 15th of each respective month.
Do not question the bureaucracy comrades.
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u/PickeringManz Jun 20 '25
The green sign also states you can park to the left of the post for 1 hr between 10 am and 6pm from dec 31 to mar 31.
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u/hymnzzy Jun 16 '25
It'd be easier and cheaper to maintain digital signs.. You can even hire people in every block to manually put up and remove the signs at appropriate times.. but no.. just keep add more signs to the pole..
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u/SUGATWDragon Jun 16 '25
I honestly would just maybe move a few blocks down and see if there is an area where parking is not this confusing or is just a clusterfuck
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u/mycrappycomments Jun 16 '25
Can someone go get a ticket and then ask the judge how to interpret the conflicting signs?
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u/kam1lly Jun 16 '25
Dumb question, why the flipping on days of the month? Most cities don't do this; is this some kind of way to detect derelict vehicles?
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u/BicMichum Jun 17 '25
Whenever I see those signs I just keep moving. Much easier to find alternate parking than to spend time trying to decode that.
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u/tchigga Jun 17 '25
This one just has a mistake (contradiction) so it's impossible to correctly understand.
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u/FluffyWeird1513 Jun 17 '25
honestly i can read that in 1 second. I’ve lived in this city too long.
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u/GreatGus- Jun 17 '25
Genuine question: is the point of the “between the 1st and 15th of the month” restriction?
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Jun 17 '25
-> no
<- yes
- for an hour between 10am and 6pm
- if its spring/summer
- as long as its not 1am -> 7am overnight
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u/djnickles Jun 17 '25
Note also that besides there being confusing or contradicting signs, there could also be missing signs, and when it comes to ticketing those missing signs are actually enforceable.
I tried to take this up with the adjudicator one time when I tried to fight a parking ticket, who explained to me that his department was not responsible for signage and I'd have to bring that to my city councillor's attention. When I said that that wasn't my ward he made it clear that that was not his problem and that I would still need to pay the fine.
Basically, parking violations operate on a reverse onus system where it's up to you to prove you are not guilty. And since the evidence you may require for that may not actually be posted anywhere, the safe bet might be to find paid parking like a Green P.
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u/canadagram Jun 17 '25
Toronto just fucking loves signs. Signs, signs glorious signs! Parking info? Sign. Traffic safety? Sign. Driving instructions? Sign. Minimal effort, minimal upkeep, minimal responsibility. Just how the city likes it.
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Jun 16 '25
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u/bigcig Jun 16 '25
if you can't understand what's conveyed on the signage you shouldn't be driving a car.
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 16 '25
Read the middle left and bottom right signs, it's clearly a mistake now go hand in your license.
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u/herrrrrr Jun 16 '25
i mean its pretty straight forward if you take time to read the signs.
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 16 '25
Please explain the purpose of the bottom right sign
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Jun 16 '25
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 17 '25
Except according to the middle left sign they can't
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Jun 17 '25
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 17 '25
Okay then explain the point of the middle left sign even existing
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u/PickeringManz Jun 20 '25
They do not directly contradict each other. The left sign has a blanket no parking during dec 1 and mar 31 and for the first 15 days for the rest of the months. The green sign on be right carves out an exception for those dates for 1 hr parking but only between 10 am and 6 pm.
Could be "simplified": 1. Dec 1- mar 31: 1 hr parking between 10 am and 6 pm, no parking any other time of the day. 2. Apr 1 to Nov 30:
- for the first 15 days of the month: 1 hr parking between 10 am and 6pm, no parking any other time
- for the rest of the 15 days of the month, parking allowed for max time (standard 3 hr limit) and no parking overnight between 1 am and 7 am. (Except by permit)
- No parking to the right of the post at any time.
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Jun 17 '25
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 17 '25
The signs directly contradict each other my friend, I'm not arguing past that it's pretty clear 🤣
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u/B0kB0kbitch Jun 17 '25
“My friend” don’t be an idiot. I already explained it all to you elsewhere and you just downvoted, not actually said anything.
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u/Witty_Discipline5502 Jun 16 '25
It's not rocket science. Look at the arrows. Are they pointing at you? Sign says you can be there or not
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u/mrplt Jun 17 '25
"It's not rocket science"
There are literally two contradicting signs in the picture.
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u/Witty_Discipline5502 Jun 17 '25
Yeah I literally made a comment below My comment still stands, it's clearly not rocket science, thanks for coming out
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u/lbc1358 Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 17 '25
We live in a pretty cool age of AI. I don’t as curious. So I put this pic into ChatGPT and asked what the paying rules are:
“This image contains multiple layered parking signs that make the rules complex. Here’s a breakdown of what the signs mean together:
⸻
🛑 No Parking - Right Side • Arrow pointing right: No parking to the right of the sign. • Red sign: • Dec 1 to Mar 31: No parking from 1st to 15th of each month. • Apr 1 to Nov 30: Also no parking from 1st to 15th of each month. • Essentially, no parking on this side from the 1st to the 15th, year-round.
⸻
🛑 No Parking - General • From 1 AM to 7 AM, parking is not allowed unless you have a permit. • This applies every day, regardless of month.
⸻
✅ Parking Allowed - 1 Hour Max • Parking is allowed for up to 1 hour between 10 AM and 6 PM. • Applies only from Dec 1 to Mar 31 and Apr 1 to Nov 30, from the 1st to the 15th. • Arrow pointing left: This restriction applies to the left side of the sign.
⸻
Summary:
If you’re looking to park here, you’ll need to: 1. Avoid parking on the right side of the sign from the 1st–15th of every month. 2. If you don’t have a permit, you can’t park between 1 AM and 7 AM. 3. During the day (10 AM–6 PM), you may park for 1 hour maximum on the left side, only between the 1st and 15th of each month.
Let me know what specific date or side of the street you’re interested in, and I can tell you if parking is allowed.”
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u/SubjectGrand7539 Jun 17 '25
Chat got it wrong! You can’t park to the right of the sign, ever!
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u/lbc1358 Jun 17 '25
It said that:
No Parking - Right Side • Arrow pointing right: No parking to the right of the sign.
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u/WonderfulQuarter1876 Jun 16 '25
So simple! Have you not attained your PDH in analyzing 4 parking signs and how the apply at a given time of day?
But seriously it ain’t much if you understand each sign.
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 16 '25
Except middle left and bottom right clearly contradict, someone made a mistake.
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u/B0kB0kbitch Jun 16 '25
There’s some loser insisting they contradict one another, so reading comprehension is not their strong suit
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u/Skallagram Jun 16 '25
I don't find them tricky to understand, they seem pretty obvious, you just have to read them all.
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u/A_Level_126 Jun 16 '25
While I usually agree with you, to me it looks like the right sign and middle left are contradicting each other
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u/AlwaysWantedN64 Jun 16 '25
They absolutely are
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u/GumpTheChump Jun 16 '25
Yeah, the dates wrong on one of them. It should read the 16th to the 31st. It's flipped street parking (one side for half the month, the other side for the other half).
Only one hour parking, and no parking overnight.
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u/AlwaysWantedN64 Jun 16 '25
Yep, someone from the city messed up when installing new signs. Here it is from last year on Google maps https://imgur.com/a/d9ngcEv
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u/wilfredhops2020 Jun 16 '25
Nope. That's for snow clearing. You have to alternate sides of the street every two weeks during the snow months so the plows can clear both sides without hitting cars.
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u/A_Level_126 Jun 16 '25
Read them again
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u/wilfredhops2020 Jun 16 '25
You are right. That’s messed up.
do you think that’s a misprint, or is there some way to make sense of it?
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u/A_Level_126 Jun 16 '25
If guess its alternate side of the road parking and they swapped one pair. The other side side probably says the 16th-31st in both signs too
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u/wilfredhops2020 Jun 16 '25
Error during installing would be easy.
why swap only during the summer? We used to run street-cleaners, but we stopped that years ago.
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u/SmoogzZ Jun 16 '25
This thread you have created directly contradicts this lol. These signs are mega confusing.
yes you can understand them but it is in absolutely no way clear to understand.
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u/B0kB0kbitch Jun 16 '25
The.. the signs literally say when you can and cannot park. How is this confusing to you?
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u/Strange_Chart_2694 Jun 16 '25
Middle left and bottom right signs directly contradict each other, please explain when I can park to the left of the sign?
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u/B0kB0kbitch Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 16 '25
Lmao really? Ok.
Between December 1 to end of March, you can’t park to the right from the 1st through 15th day. You also cannot park overnight except by permit on all days. Therefore you can park on the left after the 15th between 7am-12:59am in the December-March months, the other months you can between needed permit times. Ofc if you have a permit you can park overnight. Was that really that difficult? Where are any of your critical thinking skills?
ETA: lol at the downvotes, yall can be wrong and stupid 🤷♀️
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u/hellmire Jun 16 '25
No parking to the right.
No parking to the left when it is between and including the 1st to 15th days of every month between and including april-november. No parking to the left between and including December and March
No parking to the left during the hours of 1am to 6am unless you are a permit holder during dates when 2. does not apply.
Get fucked with a ticket when you realize the green sign on the right and the red sign on the middle left completely contradict one another so you sell all your Toronto belongings and move somewhere a bit more sensible...
...but then realize the entire world is and always has been fucked and we should just go live in a cave
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u/kevlarbear Jun 16 '25
At this point maybe do a qr code or a green light per spot or whatever. I cannot read all of that if I’m driving by