Tips for Drivers: 8 Ways to Avoid Getting a Parking Ticket
It’s not often I’ll copy and paste a unsolicited press release, but in this case, I’ll make the exception. Besides, it coincides with my having to shell out money today for a Project 180-related parking ticket.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Contrary to public opinion, the goal of nearly every municipal parking authority is not to see how many tickets their officers can write. The goal is to provide parking availability through space turnover, and to create safety for pedestrians and drivers. Unfortunately parking tickets are needed to ensure this happens. The International Parking Institute, the largest trade association of the parking industry, offers this advice to avoid parking citations:
1. Pay the Meter. This one is simple: just pay. Don’t think you can flip on the flashers to avoid a ticket because you are only going to be gone for one minute. In the eyes of a parking enforcement officer, flashers translate to “Ticket me!”
2. Pay by Phone. Many municipalities offer meters or pay stations that allow you to pay by credit card, with a smart phone, or with rechargeable parking smartcards. Go online or download the mobile app of the pay-by-phone provider in your area and create an account. Most pay-by-phone apps will even send a text reminder when your meter is about to expire.
3. Stash Quarters. Though many cities are adopting high-tech ways to make finding and paying for parking easier, keeping a roll of quarters in your glove compartment is a good idea.
4. Garage It. Parking garages are designed for long-term parking while meters and on-street spaces are designed for short-term parking. If you are staying longer than several hours, parking in a garage is less expensive than getting a ticket.
5. Use Public Transportation. Walking, taking the bus, or train is an easy way to avoid tickets. People tend to complain about gasoline prices and parking availability, yet 88 percent of all trips in the U.S. are made in a car. Using mass transit is good for the planet, too.
6. Look around. Before leaving your vehicle, check for No Parking signs. Also, be sure you are not blocking a fire hydrant, illegally occupying a handicapped spot, or parked on a pedestrian cross-walk.
7. Appeal. Most municipal parking authorities have a process that allows citizens to appeal parking tickets. The likelihood of winning your appeal is low, but ticket writers make mistakes and first-time parking tickets are sometimes voided.
8. Reform. If you are a habitual violator, take measures to reform. As a last resort, check whether your city plans a parking ticket amnesty program which allows citizens with multiple citations to come clean by paying off their tickets at a discount, or with late fees removed.
Free parking and no tickets sounds appealing, but as Isaiah Mouw, CAPP, General Manager, Republic Parking System, a contributor to the Parking Matters® Blog, explains: “Ticketing isn’t designed to be punitive. It’s about fairness and turnover. Successful downtowns depend on available parking to allow customers to patronize shops and restaurants and get where they want to go.”
If it’s any consolation, revenues generated by parking ticket fines usually get re-invested in community maintenance, beautification and safety programs.
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The International Parking Institute (IPI) is based in Fredericksburg, Virginia. www.parking.org. Each year, thousands of parking professionals attend the world’s largest parking event, the IPI Conference & Expo, this year in Phoenix, Ariz. June 10-13, 2012.
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Comments
Ok, what did you do Steve….
I disagree with the lead sentence. While space turnover may be the stated goal, all too often it becomes a rather lucrative revenue stream for a city that ends up having nothing to do with the stated goal. After all, what does the City care if one car is parked in a space for 8 hours or 100 cars?
Larry,
Actually, cities cares a great deal – city parking authorities are very involved with helping to make downtowns successful and part of that is bringing business to area merchants, museums, restaurants, businesses and theatres. If there was no parking availability– no one could go anywhere! There are cities today that are utilizing advanced technology to base parking pricing on demand — the goal is to adjust rates to provide many price choices — and to always have a certain percentage of parking availability. What’s more – circling for parking is very bad for the environment – wasteful carbon emissions. Parking professionals are very focused on helping
people find parking quickly as part of making urban mobility more sustainable – and customer-service oriented!
Best,
Helen Sullivan
International Parking Institute
Larry I suggest you educate yourself and inquire of the city how much money parking tickets bring in vs the total revenue stream. Then please return and let us know about your education.
I did look it up at one point and the amount is millions a year. I looked it up again and the results detailed below. While the percentage may not be high, that is millions that they would have to get from some other source if they stopped doing it. Much like a few years back when there was a budget crunch and they raised court fines and traffic fees. When the budget crunch passed, did they lower the rates back down again? Nope, they had already adjusted to that additional revenue stream and didn’t want to let it go.
http://www.okc.gov/finance/FY11-12%20Final%20Budget%20Book-Linked.pdf
From the 2011-12 Budget Book (low/high for the past 3 yrs)
Parking Meters
$684,664 – $759,140
General Parking Revenue
$80,000 – $85,000
Traffic Fines
$7,168,488 – $8,438,033
Parking Fines
$985,938 – $1,183,126
TOTAL
$8.9 to $10.5 million/yr
Helen: that sounds great in theory but how about the customer that spends hours shopping downtown and would rather use 1 spot instead of constantly having to waste time etc in moving their car around? That is time they arent using shopping. Besides, until just very recently everyone claimed that there is no parking problem downtown.
Parking meters are a requirement, and I believe that Larry is stating that revenue is the goal of enforcement (not turnover). Rounding your parking fine figures and rounding them to $1.0 – $1.2 million annually, I’d like to see the COST of enforcing: Personnel, vehicles, operating expenses, maintenance. Then realize that there’s additional benefit to using three-wheelers and officers during downtown events, that offsets their cost.
For purposes of arguing, say that it’s a wash – a dollar comes in as a fine and goes out as an expense. That takes you back to accomplishing the generally-accepted goal of turnover, without which you might as well NOT have on-street parking.
The City isn’t getting rich off of parking fines; in fact, they’re likely close to breaking even.
Well I don’t know about everyone else, but
some of the happiest times of my life were
driving around, circling around, whatever,
looking for parking spaces. And then the
parallel parking episode that might follow
right behind it, if they don’t have the other kind.
There’s nothing like sitting in the backseat
listening to
1. Discussions about whether they’re lost
2. Arguments about parking spaces
3. More arguments about parallel parking
that predictably end with, “WELL DO YOU WANT TRY IT?”
Precisely. It is about space turnover and not revenue. And to think there are still ignorant dolts who feel that parking meters should be removed completely. These dunces would then have nowhere to park if the meters were not there.