Extend parking ticket grace period, Coun. David Shiner says

Coun. David Shiner is mounting a campaign to extend the grace period for avoiding a parking ticket to 10minutes.

If the change to the city's parking enforcement practices goes into effect, it could potentially save Toronto's motorists from paying off tens of thousands of tickets a year.

Last year,572,000 of thelittle yellow slips were handed out for parking infractions. Had the rule for a 10-minute grace period existed last year, it could have meant an estimated 60,000 fewer tickets or a loss of about$1.8 million for the city, according to a city agenda item.

Shiner called it a "tax grab," and hopes to give drivers a bit of a break with a mandatory 10-minute exemption on the books.

Parking enforcement officers have the option of giving people a grace period of five minutes, butdrivers say they are rarely that flexible.

"Mistakes happen and we think you should have a chance to get there and fix it," Shiner said.

Making a 10-minute grace period law is on the table and goes to committee on Feb. 24.