Toronto's Most Profitable Fire Hydrants

27 Mar 2016

Expanding on my last post about Toronto’s most expensive parking tickets, I decided to dive back into the city of Toronto’s parking ticket data. Fire hydrant fines are another interesting type of infraction that have been very profitable for the city. In 2015, there were 32,791 tickets issued for parking within 3 meters of a fire hydrant. At $100 per ticket, that produced close to $3.3 million in revenue.

As expected, there are several fire hydrants that are cash cows for city hall. 393 University Avenue is the city’s most consistent revenue source. As you can see in the Google Street View below, the hydrant is well back from the street and tough to notice for the average driver. This hydrant has topped 290 tickets each of the last three years, with a high of 557 tickets in 2013.

393 University Avenue

 

In 2015, 99 Atlantic Avenue surged to the top of the list with 419 tickets issued, grossing $41,900 in revenue. It is in an area of increased activity, in which the color of the hydrant can sometimes blend into the burned grass that it sits on.

99 Atlantic Avenue

 

There were several other high grossing hydrants in Toronto that were similarly ambiguous. Continuing the University Avenue theme, the hydrant near 361 University Ave, also sits back from the street and tends to confuse Toronto drivers. In 2015 it saw 270 tickets issued for $27,000 in fines.

361 University Avenue

 

At 56 The Esplanade this hydrant tends to blend in with a cluttered and active neighbourhood. The address has seen 180 tickets issued every year since 2013, bringing in annual revenue of $18,000+ .

56 The Esplanade

 

Similarly, 592 Markham St is another hydrant, slightly back in a busy street area. Over 200 tickets were issued in 2015, for just over $20,000 in revenue.

592 Markham St

 

If you liked this post, you can share it with your followers