[muller877]

And finally, the traffic island located next to the bus loop will be retained according to this pic:
View attachment 56455

View attachment 56454

Dumb question about the design of the station. Why do subway/LRT stops require staff parking? How many workers who work next to a subway have free parking? Or free TTC service? Unacceptable benefit that very few people get.

They should be like the rest of us. Buy a token and take the TTC to work.

1. TTC needs to make sure they are including a taxable benefit on the workers T4
2. Auction off the spot yearly (with the prior year's winner having a right of first refusal). I'm sure there are people that live near here would pay $1000+ / year for this spot.
3. If the auction idea it too capitalist for people, sell the land so we can have another coffee shop near the TTC.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Dumb question about the design of the station. Why do subway/LRT stops require staff parking? How many workers who work next to a subway have free parking? Or free TTC service? Unacceptable benefit that very few people get.

They should be like the rest of us. Buy a token and take the TTC to work.

1. TTC needs to make sure they are including a taxable benefit on the workers T4
2. Auction off the spot yearly (with the prior year's winner having a right of first refusal). I'm sure there are people that live near here would pay $1000+ / year for this spot.
3. If the auction idea it too capitalist for people, sell the land so we can have another coffee shop near the TTC.

More often than not, I see these parking spots being used by work vans/trucks.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Dumb question about the design of the station. Why do subway/LRT stops require staff parking? How many workers who work next to a subway have free parking? Or free TTC service? Unacceptable benefit that very few people get.

They should be like the rest of us. Buy a token and take the TTC to work.

1. TTC needs to make sure they are including a taxable benefit on the workers T4
2. Auction off the spot yearly (with the prior year's winner having a right of first refusal). I'm sure there are people that live near here would pay $1000+ / year for this spot.
3. If the auction idea it too capitalist for people, sell the land so we can have another coffee shop near the TTC.

Station opening and closing times aren't exactly great for using public transit, and besides the parking lot can be used by maintenance crew and whatnot. I think it is a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, especially considering the size of the lot.

AoD

 

[wopchop]

Dumb question about the design of the station. Why do subway/LRT stops require staff parking? How many workers who work next to a subway have free parking? Or free TTC service? Unacceptable benefit that very few people get.

They should be like the rest of us. Buy a token and take the TTC to work.

1. TTC needs to make sure they are including a taxable benefit on the workers T4
2. Auction off the spot yearly (with the prior year's winner having a right of first refusal). I'm sure there are people that live near here would pay $1000+ / year for this spot.
3. If the auction idea it too capitalist for people, sell the land so we can have another coffee shop near the TTC.

Except that the parking spots are basically there for maintenance and contractor vehicles, not for everyday working staff.

 

[BMO]

Except that the parking spots are basically there for maintenance and contractor vehicles, not for everyday working staff.

This. If you drive along Highway 7 it's hard not to find a handful of stations that have Maintenance vehicles parked in the Rapidway stations.

 

[muller877]

Station opening and closing times aren't exactly great for using public transit, and besides the parking lot can be used by maintenance crew and whatnot. I think it is a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, especially considering the size of the lot.

AoD

It's not just at this lot but throughout the system I see cars parked in bus loops and in special parking lots. Most of the time it is their own car and not a maintenance vehicle. If the bus loop is too big, then use it for bike parking or rent out the spots to a car sharing company.

It's a public asset and should not be used for personal benefit.

And most shift workers have to use the night bus system. Is it good enough for the public but not good enough for TTC employees? Or pay for public parking nearby?

 

[muller877]

Except that the parking spots are basically there for maintenance and contractor vehicles, not for everyday working staff.

Let's look at Google Maps and a random bunch of stations with a bus loop. My conclusion....the TTC should either police this better or they are available for everyday working staff.

Wellesley Subway
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6651...axx0_i2oIEBTcAVZKw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
3 personal cars (if you look in the other way it looks like there is 1 maintenance vehicle)

Rosedale
3 personal, 1 maintenance
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6765788,-79.3889603,172m/data=!3m1!1e3

Royal York
2 personal (with a parking lot literally just across the fence)
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6479...03&h=100&yaw=61.883572&pitch=0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[wopchop]

I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but looking at a personal looking vehicle and automatically concluding that it isn't a contractor or maintenance worker is a bad conclusion.

It could be that the "personal vehicles" are simply contractors/maintenance workers that weren't at the shop when the van/work truck left and met it at the job. It could be a TTC supervisor that has a vehicle and covers a wide area. It could be a contractor that drives a personal vehicle (very common). It could be a lot of things other than a worker illegally parking for the day.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It's not just at this lot but throughout the system I see cars parked in bus loops and in special parking lots. Most of the time it is their own car and not a maintenance vehicle. If the bus loop is too big, then use it for bike parking or rent out the spots to a car sharing company.

It's a public asset and should not be used for personal benefit.

And most shift workers have to use the night bus system. Is it good enough for the public but not good enough for TTC employees? Or pay for public parking nearby?

Er, most shift workers in quasi-industrial jobs have access to free company parking lots, unless they don't drive. Certainly transit workers (e.g. bus drivers) have free parking at the depots. So I am not sure what the complain is about.

AoD

 

[crs1026]

I think it is a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, especially considering the size of the lot.

AoD

Yes and no. If you aggregate the value of the benefit across all TTC stations, it is certainly a material chunk of change. TTC should be maximising its revenue, so if cars can be parked there, maybe they should be charged for this.

That said, it would be inflammatory to staff relations to retract the benefit, and there are likely legal grounds to prevent the TTC from doing that (google the term 'estoppel'). It's a battle I would not pick to fight....but no harm in reminding TTC workers that they are enjoying a benefit here.

The taxable benefit aspect is interesting. Having endured the odd CRA employer's audit in my time, this might actually meet a threshold that they would attend to. (Mum's the word!)

One does notice that TTC employees seem to park on every available bit of land, including boulevards and places where parking isn't desirable. There may be good reason to enforce parking rules a bit more. This will likely lead to the finding that there are more employees' cars than space available. Again, maybe better not to open the box.

- Paul

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Yes and no. If you aggregate the value of the benefit across all TTC stations, it is certainly a material chunk of change. TTC should be maximising its revenue, so if cars can be parked there, maybe they should be charged for this.

That said, it would be inflammatory to staff relations to retract the benefit, and there are likely legal grounds to prevent the TTC from doing that (google the term 'estoppel'). It's a battle I would not pick to fight....but no harm in reminding TTC workers that they are enjoying a benefit here.

The taxable benefit aspect is interesting. Having endured the odd CRA employer's audit in my time, this might actually meet a threshold that they would attend to. (Mum's the word!)

One does notice that TTC employees seem to park on every available bit of land, including boulevards and places where parking isn't desirable. There may be good reason to enforce parking rules a bit more. This will likely lead to the finding that there are more employees' cars than space available. Again, maybe better not to open the box.

- Paul

The problem is that if you need to aggregate it in order to see the value there probably isn't all that much to derive it from on a site to site basis. And like you've said, I have far, far greater issue of employees parking where they shouldn't be parking.

Personally, I don't have a huge issue if having minor levels of parking (a few spaces) help to increase efficiency and on time performance of staff.

AoD

 

[nfitz]

Er, most shift workers in quasi-industrial jobs have access to free company parking lots, unless they don't drive. Certainly transit workers (e.g. bus drivers) have free parking at the depots. So I am not sure what the complain is about.

Company parking lots are a taxable benefit - unless there are far fewer spots than the number of employees. Or anyone can park there.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Company parking lots are a taxable benefit - unless the amount of free parking exceeds the number of employees. Which isn't the case for TTC subway stations.

Well, for the operation of that given station it probably is. I mean, look at it this way - how many in station staff do we expect, 1 to 3 (and varying at different times - e.g. cleaners, whatnot)?

AoD

 

[muller877]

Er, most shift workers in quasi-industrial jobs have access to free company parking lots, unless they don't drive. Certainly transit workers (e.g. bus drivers) have free parking at the depots. So I am not sure what the complain is about.

AoD

Most people that work near a high-order transit line do not have free parking. I'm not talking about those people that work in a transit desert nor the bus operators who have to get to the bus depot. I'm talking about s0meone who has the ability to take a fairly efficient transit system 24/7 to work.

It's part of the culture of entitlement of the public sector.

How many people who work around Wellesley subway have free parking? It's well over $100/month. Won't it be great to put a concrete highway barrier along the east side of the bus bay and create a hundred covered bike spots? (with 2 spots in the back for maintenance vehicles)

How about out at Caledonia. 4 car sharing spots literally right next door to the subway. If I live downtown I can take the subway/LRT (or GO Train) to Caledonia, get off, grab a ZipCar/Cars2Go/AutoShare to go shopping in the Castlefield design district for some new lights, flooring, etc. Opens up a whole range of design options that are currently not available.

And makes the city more livable for all, not just a few entitled workers.

 

[nfitz]

Well, for the operation of that given station it probably is. I mean, look at it this way - how many in station staff do we expect, 1 to 3 (and varying at different times - e.g. cleaners, whatnot)?

I'm reading the rules again - I may have not been accurate he situation if not an industrial park.

See Revenue Canada - http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/bnfts/tmbl/prkng-eng.html

Employer-provided parking is usually a taxable benefit for an employee, whether or not the employer owns the lot. The amount of the benefit is based on the fair market value (FMV) of the parking, minus any amount the employee pays to use the space. You have to include any GST/HST that applies to the value of this benefit.

We do not require you to include a benefit in your employee's income in the following situations:

• A business operates from a shopping centre or industrial park where parking is available free of charge to both employees and other people.
• You provide scramble parking. Scramble parking is still a benefit to the employee, but in the absence of the ability to accurately assign a value to the benefit because of the random or uncertain nature of it, a benefit is not included in income.

Examples - Scramble Parking
Example 1
Scramble parking

• Where there are 35 parking spots and 60 employees who want parking.

Example 2
Not scramble parking

• There are enough parking spaces for all employees who want a parking space on a daily basis but it is "unassigned parking", meaning employees are not assigned to a particular parking space.
• There are 50 parking spots and 52 employees wanting parking. Therefore, most employees will find a parking spot every day.
• There are 100 employees and 75 parking spots. All employees are provided with a parking pass but 30 employees do not drive to work. Therefore, only 70 employees want parking spots on a daily basis.
• There are 400 parking spots and 600 employees wanting parking. The business runs 3 equal shifts over a 24 hour period. Therefore, not all employees want parking at the same time.
• An annual company-wide meeting results in a significant number of employees being unable to find parking on the day of the meeting due to the attendance of teleworkers and shiftworkers, but on regular workdays, most employees are able to find a parking spot.

​

So oddly enough, if not enough spots ... then non-taxable. If more than enough spots, taxable benefit. Though if anyone can park there because it's an industrial park - then not taxable. Perhaps this is why most companies don't have "No parking unless you work here or are visiting" up!