Parking Violations Bring in Big Bucks for the City of Seattle
August 26, 2010 by Hanley · 2 Comments
Seattle is big on parking tickets, and city officials plan on getting better. Last year, the city wrote 508,675 tickets – or around one per minute. Those tickets brought in $18.4 million last year which doubled the operating budget for the parking enforcement department. Believe it or not, the city plans on bringing those numbers up, in what they describe as a plan to “shift the paradigm” in the city from driving to utilizing public transportation. “The paradigm has to shift at some point. People will change their patterns as it becomes more difficult to drive and park. Then there’s a tipping point as transportation becomes easier to access, a spokesman for the Department of Planning and Development said. And to force that hand of that paradigm shift, the city is planning on adding even more parking enforcement officers – on top of the 20 who were added since 2008.
Parents Sue Town After Fatal Crash
August 8, 2010 by Hanley · 3 Comments
The parents of Debra Davis, a 20 year old woman who was killed in a drunk driving accident on July 26, 2008, are suing The Kraft Group and the town of Foxborough, claiming that they both share responsibility for the death of their daughter. Despite a policy of not allowing “ticketless, underage drinkers from partying and consuming alcohol in the stadium parking lot,” that’s precisely what Davis and her friend Alexa Latteo, 19, did – without interference from the security force at a country music event.
Loading Zone Ticket
July 21, 2010 by Hanley · 2 Comments
There’s a business down the street from me who gets way more loading-zone spaces than it needs. In 6 months, I think I’ve seen a delivery truck in front of his business once. So why should he get all those tickets?
Non Storm! (How’d You Beat Your Ticket?)
February 11, 2010 by Hanley · 2 Comments
I was one of the many people who received a ticket for parking on a snow route during a storm – even though there was no storm. Luckily, all the media attention made it impossible for the city to enforce so it was dismissed. I have no doubt that without the media attention, we would have been screwed.
Family Speaks in Court About Teacher Killed by Driver High on Drugs
February 11, 2010 by Hanley · 3 Comments
The family of Alison Regan, a 25 year old teacher of autistic children, spoke during the trial of the man accused of killing her in a head-on collision while high on drugs. Eric Lum, the driver of the vehicle that struck Alison’s car, has a “lengthy record of drug and driving offenses.” He was sentenced to 5 years in a state prison, and 5 years probation by Judge Kenneth Fishman. After the hearing, Richard Regan, Alison’s father, said he’d push for legislation which would mandate a 20 year prison sentence for anyone convicted of vehicular homicide while drunk or high.
Cash-Strapped Cities Pile on the Parking Fines
September 14, 2009 by Hanley · 5 Comments
The time of taking a calculated risk for parking tickets is long gone. In a blatant attempt to generate revenue, municipalities across the country are turning to parking tickets as a moneymaker. This new attitude towards parking citations is being called a “curb tax” by many and is exemplified across the country. Articles gives examples in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Louisville, Washington D.C., Boston, and Sacramento just to name a few. Complaints are ranging from motorists receiving tickets while pulling into a parking space to double-parking citations being issued to people waiting for someone to pull out of a space. “Cities are raising ticket prices, hiring more citation officers, turning to gimmicky technologies, even selling their parking systems and enforcement to the highest bidder, all in a desperate effort to shrink budget gaps.
