Thousands of parking tickets were issued and hundreds of vehicles towed during a recent weeks-long crackdown on motorists who were were blocking traffic, Toronto police figures show.Police said in a new release sent out Monday that 4,352 tickets were issued and 753 vehicles were towed from Jan. 14 to Feb. 1. “The enforcement of the city’s rush hour routes and other traffic and parking offences continues to be a priority,” police said.The campaign focused on stopped drivers blocking traffic on major streets, not congestion within major intersections, also known as “blocking the box.”The stats that were released Monday don’t include numbers for tickets issued for distracted driving, a crackdown that was running at the same time.When the campaign was announced, police spokesperson Brian Moniz said that officers will be taking a “zero tolerance” approach to drivers blocking traffic on major routes during rush hour in an attempt to combat congestion.According to Moniz, a ticket for blocking traffic during rush hour is $150 and a tow is an additional $250. On average, police issue 70,000 tickets per year during rush hour, or roughly 275 per day.Police tow about 15,000 a year, or around 60 a day, Moniz said.Ilya Bañares is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star`s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @ilyaoverseas
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