Parking signs in Montreal too confusing, councillor says

One Montreal city councillor says finding a parking space is already difficult enough and it's a challenge made even worse by confusing parking signs.

Projet Montreal councillor Guillaume Lavoie is calling for an overhaul of street signs.

He says clusters of parking signs that line some streets in Montreal are not easy to understand.

"Over time, because we add signs year to year, you have signs that contradict each other," he said.

Lavoie wants the city to follow the model that the city of Los Angeles is adopting, where parking signs will follow a colour-coded schedule.

When a sign is red, it means a driver cannot park there. When it's green, parking is allowed.

"It's simpler. Everyone can figure out within a few seconds, 'Can I park here now, or a little bit later, or for how long?'" Lavoie said.

Many drivers are on board, telling CBC Montreal that they'd love to see the parking signs made simpler.

"The first time I parked here I was very confused. Is it 2 hours, 10 minutes?," said Donald McFarland.

"You have to slow down, read every sign, you're blocking traffic behind you everyone's annoyed," said Vincent Courtemanche.

Driver Sebastien Receveur said the complicated signs are costing him money he gets at least one parking ticket a month.

"Tickets and I have a close relationship...Finding a way to make it better would be interesting."

The City of Montreal would not comment on the proposal, but said that it has an overall parking plan that includes a proposition to simplify parking signs.