More than 1,800 parking tickets were issued over six weeks on Queen St. following a Toronto police pilot project on traffic enforcement.

Police said the project — which ended Nov. 15 — was meant to address congestion during rush hour. In order for more cars to be removed, improperly parked vehicles were towed to side streets instead of car pounds, police said in a news release Saturday.

“The project shortened tow truck response times and facilitated a rapid removal of vehicles off Queen St. during the afternoon rush hour and allowed traffic to move more freely during these periods,” the new release said.

According to police, the pilot resulted in 1,818 parking violation notices, 426 vehicles getting relocated, and 66 vehicles released at the scene.

There was a 71 per cent increase in ticketed parking violations and a 56 per cent increase in vehicle relocations during the 2019 project versus the same period in 2018, police said.