The province increased fines for distracted driving on Jan. 1. Convictions will also now result in driver’s licence suspensions of three, seven or 30 days by the Ministry of Transportation. Novice drivers will have their licences suspended for 30 days on a first conviction.

Before the changes, the minimum fine was $490, three demerit points and no licence suspension.

More than 6,000 tickets for blocking lanes during rush hour have been issued during blitzes over the past four years and more than 1,000 cars towed, Tory said.

This is behaviour that we can’t continue to tolerate in the city. It inconveniences hundreds of other people, just so that the few who want to break the law can go and get their dry-cleaning or their coffee or make things more convenient for themselves, said Tory.

Cabs are permitted to stop, even during rush hour, to pick up or drop off passengers and process payment, but they are being encouraged, when possible, to do so off main streets, said traffic services Sgt. Brett Moore.

Uber drivers are not allowed to stop in traffic as cabs do, Moore said.

Xavier Van Chau, a spokesperson for Uber, said the company is committed to helping reduce distracted driving and support safe driving.

In an effort to reduce drowsy driving last year, we introduced a new feature that prompts drivers to go offline for six straight hours from the app after a total of 12 hours of driving time, said Van Chau, adding that the service has also launched products to make pickup easier.

We continue to look at what technology and policies we can introduce that help move the needle when it comes to road safety.