DRIVERS who park in city lots could be facing charges and fines they didn’t expect – and if this has happened to you, you’re not alone.
Ocean City, Maryland, transportation officials are prioritizing a quick resolution to these issues.
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Ocean City Transit Manager Rob Shearman explained in a recent email that several changes have occurred this year, via local communications Ocean City Today.
Not only does the city have new parking managers and enforcement officers, but it also switched to Duncan Solutions for parking data management at the beginning of the year.
These changes led to data communication issues between ParkMobile, Flowbird (the parking kiosk provider) and Duncan, resulting in erroneous quotes.
Currently, payment data from ParkMobile reaches Duncan more reliably than that from kiosks.
In the long term, the goal is to ensure that both payment options are reliable.
“This is the quickest way to begin the process of rejecting a ticket we issued in error,” he said.
He also acknowledged that City Hall and police department officials should redirect parking-related complaints to the transportation department.
“I’m confident that as we all become more familiar with the new processes, we will get better at getting everyone to the right people,” Shearman said.
DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS
Shearman’s comments were in response to a visitor who received a ticket despite still having 45 minutes left on the meter, according to the local outlet.
The visitor tried to resolve the problem at the police station, but ended up having to go online for the fine to be cancelled.
Shearman mentioned that the exact number of wrong tickets is unknown as they rely on reports from the public.
They suspect the main cause is problematic cellular data connectivity between the kiosks and Duncan’s system, possibly exacerbated by regional cellular connectivity issues reported earlier this month.
Efforts are underway to resolve the errors, including switching cellphone providers, checking and cleaning kiosk communications equipment, and modifying enforcement team procedures, the news outlet reported.
INCREASED APPLICATION
In November, the city council created a new parking division within the transportation department to improve enforcement and resolve the problem of non-payment at downtown parking spots.
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
New employees started at the start of the season, resulting in significant increases in parking fees and ticket revenue in May compared to last year.
Non-ticket revenue increased 14%, while parking fines jumped 277%.
Despite the increase in revenue, Shearman emphasized that the goal is not to rely on citations for revenue.
The goal is to encourage drivers to pay meter fees of $3 or $3.50 per hour, rather than incurring parking fines, through the point of sale.
Shearman reported that the quickest way to dispute a ticket is through the same portal used to pay parking fees, parkocmd.com.
The US Sun contacted the City of Ocean City, Maryland to comment on this matter.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
