Police issue 560 tickets to motorists on King Street over 5 weekdays of pilot project

Toronto police say they issued 560 tickets last week over five days for violations of new rules governing King Street in its pilot project.

The tickets were issued during an enforcement blitz. The project is planned to run for one year to evaluate the impact of prioritizing streetcars on commuters, motorists and area businesses..

Sgt. Brett Moore, spokesperson for Toronto police traffic services, released on Tuesday the results of five weekdays of ticketing on King Street from Nov. 20 to Nov. 24.

Over the five days, the number of tickets for provincial offences shows a peak on Wednesday, Nov. 22, then a decline. That could mean drivers are learning the new rules, or avoiding King Street altogether, or a mix of both.

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According to data compiled by police, 132 tickets were issued on Nov. 20, 121 tickets on Nov. 21, 137 tickets on Nov. 22, 87 tickets on Nov. 23, and 83 tickets on Nov. 24. 

Moore has told CBC Toronto that the pilot project is changing the way people use King Street. 

TTC spokesperson Kadeem Griffiths said the transit agency is expected to receive data on streetcar travel time, reliability and preliminary ridership counts in about two weeks, and will comment on any findings then.

A team of 10 Toronto police officers and 10 parking enforcement officers ticketed drivers from Monday, Nov. 20 to Sunday, Nov. 26 in the enforcement blitz.

If drivers are charged with a provincial offence for violating the rules on King Street, the fine is $110 and two demerit points.

Under the new rules, drivers are not allowed to travel straight across King Street. Between Bathurst and Jarvis streets, drivers now have to turn right off of King Street at most intersections. 

The TTC says more than 65,000 people take King streetcars every weekday, making it the busiest surface route in Toronto's entire transit system.