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Toronto drivers may soon face steeper fines for blocking intersections

Mayor Olivia Chow is set to announce new measures to prevent motorists from blocking intersections on Toronto streets, including steeper fines for those who break the rules.

The mayor is expected to provide details about the changes at a news conference later this morning.

Last year, city council supported a motion tabled by Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie to ask the province to up the fines for blocking intersections. The motion asked that drivers be charged $450 if they block the intersection, up from just $85.

In community safety zones, the city asked that the penalty be increased from $120 to $500.

“I believe increasing the fines for blocking the box will help slam the brakes on this bad behaviour,” McKelvie wrote in a news release at the time. “Your bad behaviour is costing people time and money, and contributing to congestion.”

credited for eliminating instances of vehicles blocking intersections 96 per cent of the time, the city said in a news release earlier this month. According to the city, this has reduced travel times and decreased the risk of collisions or near misses between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Chow is expected to speak alongside McKelvie at a news conference near King Street and University Avenue at 11 a.m.

With files from CP24’s Josh Freeman

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