The carrot didn't work, so here comes the stick.
The mayor of Toronto is turning to plan b to try to reduce the number of condo and other private construction projects that are eating up lanes of traffic for years at a time.
John Tory has now set his sights on possible regulatory changes at city hall. This comes after a substantial hike in the costs paid by developers to block traffic failed to rattle them into making changes.
"The fees still seem to represent nothing more than the cost of doing business," Tory told reporters Tuesday. "I had intended for those changes to make more of a difference. And since that doesn't seem yet to be the case, we will get together and force developers to be more resourceful and considerate."
Toronto city staff will report back next month on how other major centres handle the issue. Tory highlights that New York City just doesn't allow developers to block lanes because it is thought to be too disruptive.
"I think we have to head in the same direction so that no closure, or very short closures become the rule rather than the exception."
Tory highlighted a re-jigged lane closure plane on Bathurst St as evidence that with some creativity it is possible to minimize the effect of construction on traffic. The developer on a project at Bathurst and Front St had first asked to block an entire lane for two years, forcing all traffic into a single line, shared with streetcars. Now, they have agreed to block less than half a lane.
The mayor suggests new regulations for Toronto could also stricter limits on how long a lane blockage can last. Tory says he has heard from Torontonians frustrated as they pass by construction sites where there are few trucks coming and going and there does not seem to be a reason for lanes to be blocked.