CITY lawmakers voted to increase parking fees to make up for a nearly $2 million revenue shortfall.
Now drivers are furious about having to pay for parking on residential streets.
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Allentown, Pennsylvania, lawmakers voted to increase parking fines across the board after seeing the city had a $1.8 million revenue shortfall.
Increasing the cost of parking would help fill the gap, the council determined.
Until last week, parking prices had not changed since 2001, it said. WFMZ-TV.
Revenue generated from parking fines is vital for funding construction projects, zoning projects, and even pedestrian safety efforts.
The council approved increasing downtown parking by $5 per month for surface lots and decks downtown.
Jon Haney, interim executive director of the city’s parking authority, said during a meeting last week that Allentown is growing rapidly, increasing costs.
Rising costs are responsible for the city’s budget deficit.
For expired meters, the law change would cause violations for expired meters to increase from $10 to $25.
Other common violations that would normally cost $15 would increase to $35 or $50.
Overnight parking came at a cost to residents, although the city eliminated that law some time ago.
After the cost of overnight parking was reduced, that’s when the city started losing money, Haney suggested.
The decision did not come without its fair share of objections, however, and it was mandatory that a study of parking meters be carried out to assess whether or not they made a difference.
If the study produces positive results, new price changes will come into effect on July 1st.
However, Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach, the same councilor who ordered the study, received a parking ticket in a residential area.
During the meeting, she expressed hesitation regarding meters in these zones, saying it would pave the way for unfair violations.
“There are meters where there shouldn’t be meters,” Gerlach said.
“I just got a $10 ticket the other day on my block and I live in a residential area.”
There are meters where there shouldn’t be meters. I just got a $10 ticket the other day on my block and I live in a residential area.
Councilor Ce-Ce Gerach
The city center, however, is where lawmakers pay the most attention.
Councilor Candida Affa said that many choose to park on the street instead of in a garage or lot, creating the need to increase fines.
“It’s a well-known fact,” Affa said.
“Many Philadelphia lawyers who come to our federal building are on the street rather than on a lot.”
Haney noted that it’s about time the city changed the parking situation.
“It’s been more than 20 years since these things have been adjusted in any meaningful way,” he said.
“The study found that we are nowhere near where we should be and we need to increase fines to at least the levels of our regional neighbors. This revenue would allow me to further develop off-street parking. It’s one thing to buy a lot, but then you must develop it.”
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 take 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
Gerlach, however, remains wary of the parking authority after her experience.
“Since I’ve been on the board, communication between us and the parking authority has been a struggle,” she said.
“When there is a lack of communication, it sometimes results in a lack of trust. I still don’t have faith and trust in the parking authority to do this study.”
Resident Karen Ocasio told the outlet that city lawmakers should direct their attention elsewhere.
“This is a community that is already being gentrified,” she said.
“Our people cannot afford these increases. I understand, everyone wants to make sure they make money. But this is something that needs a little more study.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
