DRIVERS living in a major city are set to face hefty new fines in a parking crackdown that’s going into effect in a matter of days.
Local officials say fines for residential permit parking violations in residential areas will be moving to a tiered system – meaning higher penalties for a great amount of offenses.
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The tiered system will see violators fined $50 for their first ticket, $70 for the second, $100 for their third offense, and an eye-watering $150 for their fourth violation.
According to CBS, the new system comes after a new 24-hour parking enforcement program came into effect in March to improve parking compliance and reduce traffic.
An added overnight enforcement will be active too, targeting habitual parking violators – including those that illegally park commercial vehicles in residential neighborhoods, residential permit parking violations, repeat parking offenders, and other traffic control concerns.
In February, the city’s parking authority brought in a mobile payment system – available at metered parking spots and city-operated lots.
This allows users to be notified when their parking time is about to expire, and gives them the chance to extend their parking time without returning to their vehicle.
The parking enforcement comes amid an increase in reckless driving penalties across the state of Maryland, with the new enforcement focused on Baltimore.
At the beginning of the year, the state started a new tiered structure for speeding tickets – with higher fines for higher speeds.
This included fines doubling when workers were present on the roadway – coming after an I-695 work zone crash saw six construction workers killed in March 2023.
It comes as a driver in California has blasted a new daylighting law that saw him pick up two $117 fines in just a week.
The newly effective state law, which prohibits parking within 20 feet of crosswalks, has resulted in over 4,300 tickets in a major city so far.
Naturally, residents in densely populated neighborhoods are the ones hardest hit by the penalties – and it’s causing widespread frustration.
The ruling officially came into play at the very start of the year, on January 1, but wasn’t enforced until March 1 – giving car owners two months to adjust.
Aimed at improving pedestrian safety, it requires drivers to leave a 20-foot buffer zone when parking with the front of their car facing a crosswalk.
But many believe the rules are unclear and the fines are steep.
Elsewhere, another driver in San Francisco, California, has been arrested and had his vehicle towed after he was caught breaking an “inappropriate riding” rule.
The dangerous driver pulled off a daring move right in front of law enforcement – and then fled the scene.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
- Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
- When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
- “I didn’t know the law.”
- “I was on my way to move my car.”
- “I can’t afford this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader’s Digest