Drivers caught violating the rules of the new King Street Pilot project will be fined, Toronto police say.Const. Clint Stibbe of the Toronto Police Service’s traffic unit has said that, starting Monday morning, police would be handing out fines – not warnings. He said on Twitter over the weekend that “thousands” of warnings had been issued to drivers who violated the rules of the new pilot project during last week’s grace period. Drivers caught breaking the new rules will be fined $110 and receive two demerit points on their license, Stibbe said.Police haven’t kept track of the exact number of informal warnings they’ve handed out to drivers. But Sgt. Brett Moore said “in the thousands is fair.”He added that, despite the number of warnings, he has been “pleasantly surprised” at the number of people who are following the new rules. “The compliance, actually, is very good,” he said. The new rules make it illegal for drivers to go straight through the length of King St., between Jarvis and Bathurst. New signage will encourage drivers to make right-hand turns off of King St., leaving the centre lane relatively open for streetcars.TTC spokesperson Brad Ross previously told the Star it will likely take several weeks for everyone to adapt to the changes. City staff have said that giving streetcars right-of-way will allow for more efficient movement of people downtown, because the majority of commuters who travel along King St. use transit. It also reduces car traffic and allows cyclists to ride down the curb lanes. The pilot went into effect on Nov. 12 and is expected to last for a year.With files from Jaren Kerr and Ben Spurr
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