Between construction, bike lanes, and confusing signage, finding a decent parking spot in Montreal can sometimes feel like an impossible task.
As a result, people sometimes end up occupying spots that are, let's just say, open to interpretation, and end up paying for it.
Now, there's a new tool designed to help you assess your odds of getting written up. A recent Concordia University computer science graduate has built a free app that maps parking tickets across the city in real time, and it's already revealing some telling patterns about where enforcement is heaviest.
The site, mtlparking.vercel.app, was launched last week by Amin Kadawala, a software developer who noticed something that plenty of Montrealers have probably wondered about. "I noticed how common parking tickets are in Montreal and wondered whether there were patterns behind them, certain areas, certain times, seasonal spikes," he told MTL Blog.
A map of parking tickets issued in Montreal over a 14-day period.mtlparking.vercel.app
As for whether this ruffles any feathers at city hall, Kadawala doesn't seem worried.
The ticketing data, he says, was always out there to begin with. "The data exists publicly, but it's not presented in a way that's easy for the average person to explore." So he built something that does exactly that.
The platform pulls new ticket data every night directly from the City of Montreal's public parking ticket system, geocodes the addresses, and plots them on an interactive map.
The key technical breakthrough, Kadawala explains, was identifying a mathematical pattern in Montreal's ticket numbering sequence. "I discovered that Montreal's ticket numbers actually follow a mathematical pattern, which meant I could pull records systematically from the city's public system." No account or signup is required to use it.
The results are striking. On April 9 alone, 950 tickets were issued across the city in a single day. One location that particularly stands out, according to Kadawala, is 8699 Boul. St-Michel. "Twelve tickets in a single Saturday afternoon, issued back to back. You can literally trace the officer's entire route from the timestamps." Downtown corridors, commercial streets, and areas with dense or confusing signage consistently show the highest volumes, he says, adding that "the map makes these hotspots immediately visible in a way a spreadsheet never could."
Beyond the map itself, the site includes filters and a small dashboard with city-wide statistics, making it useful whether you're curious about a specific street or want a broader picture of enforcement patterns across Montreal.
As for what's next, Kadawala says the data his site pulls gets richer every night. He's planning better filtering, deeper time-based analytics, and possibly alerts for high-risk streets.
A mobile app is also on the table. "Checking whether a spot is risky before you park is really a phone moment," he said, "so it's a natural next step." His longer-term vision is bigger than just avoiding tickets, though.
"I'd love for it to become a genuine transparency and awareness tool for Montrealers, something that helps people understand not just where enforcement is heaviest, but why certain areas get targeted more than others."
The site is live now and free to use at mtlparking.vercel.app.
