A POPULAR tourist destination has increased its parking charges weeks before tourists are expected to hit the city center streets.
Drivers are preparing to spend a little more to park on the streets of downtown Pensacola, Florida.
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The Pensacola City Council approved a measure that will increase downtown parking fees in April.
Motorists will now pay $1 for parking in the city center after city parking increased since 2007.
The new parking fees came into effect on May 1st.
In November, the city commissioned a parking survey to calculate the correct cost of on-street parking.
The survey results suggested an increase to $1.62.
However, authorities balked at the idea of more than tripling parking fees.
“It showed us that our rates were extremely low,” Lisa Dees, the city’s director of parking management, told the local ABC affiliate. WEAR-TV about the results.
“Obviously things have improved since 2007, so we’re trying to make sure the parking experience is as pleasant as possible.”
The study also said that 60% of drivers in the city approved the fare increase.
Residents have called for improvements to parking projects as costs rise.
Dees said drivers have asked for better phone parking apps and easier payment options.
“The only way to do this is to have some money to do these things,” she added.
The fee increase is estimated to add $241,000 to the city’s parking budget.
Parking in the city will remain free on Sundays.
Other city officials said low parking prices in the city center showed that drivers were not paying for the externalities of traffic congestion.
How to Fight a Parking Ticket
You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
- Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. 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 time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the 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 going to move my car.”
- “I can’t pay this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader Summary
“The biggest concern from the 2023 Parking Survey was the limited amount of parking spaces available during weekend nights,” city Mayor DC Reeves said in a statement.
“With the increase in visitors and traffic in our city center, plus the fact that rates haven’t increased in almost 20 years, it’s time to balance supply and demand.”
Parking meter updates follow rising parking ticket rates.
Basic parking tickets cost drivers $10 at the beginning of the year.
An ordinance passed in February increased initial fines to $20.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
