Providence Will Issue More Than 150,000 Parking Tickets In 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The city of Providence will generate more than 150,000 parking tickets this year, with the potential for that number to grow significantly as the city begins to become more stringent with its parking enforcement laws over the next three months.
Earlier this year, the city announced that parking-enforcement officers would be stepping up their efforts to tag more cars parked at expired parking meters or those that are parked beyond time limits in an effort to raise additional revenue.
The plan was to ensure that officers would ticket cars Monday through Saturday from 8am to 6pm as required by city ordinance. Until recently, the meter-watchers would stop ticketing after 3:00pm on weekdays and did not work on Saturdays in an effort to curb overtime costs that would exceed income generated by parking enforcement. The extension of weekday hours began prior to the summer and Saturday ticketing started “within the last two weeks,” according to Lindsay Lague, Public Information Officer for Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare.
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According to the city, parking meters generated about $1.3 million in 2010. But due to underenforcement of the law, the city said it was losing 35 percent of its meter revenue each year. The Taveras administration opted not to increase the penalty on parking tickets, an effort twice adopted under the previous administration.
Just after taking office in 2003, then Mayor and current Congressman David Cicilline raised fines for overtime parking from $10 to $15. In 2007, the amounted for overtime parking at a meter increased to $25 and for all other overtime parking, to $20.
In July, the city chose to increase the rate for parking at a meter up to 25 cents for every 12 minutes. In addition, all 15-minute parking spots were changed to 30-minute parking at 75 cents for the half hour maximum time limit. The changes, the city said, matched Boston’s current rates.
No Notification
But while small business owners say they understand the city’s need to raise additional funds with the city still recovering from what Mayor Taveras coined a “category five fiscal hurricane,” they’re also worried their customers will be scared away, especially from downtown.
According the Jennifer Ortiz, who owns Extreme Cuts on Westminster Street, the city never informed businesses that it was going to start enforcing Saturday parking laws. She said she wasn’t aware until she received a ticket herself last weekend.
“There were no notifications, nobody knows what’s going on,” Ortiz said. “Being a business owner, you’d think they would tell me. You never know when they’re going to be giving tickets. It’s supposed to be 8am to 6pm, but you never know.”
Ortiz said her main concern is that on Saturdays, downtown is already quiet and if the city is going to be tagging more cars, many of her clients will search for other options.
“People that come to me on Saturdays come because they don’t want to deal with the craziness of the city during the week,” Ortiz said. “What’s the point of Saturday now?”
Why Bother With A Car
Ortiz said she understands the need for parking enforcement, not just as a revenue enhancer, but also as a way to increase the flow of traffic. But others say any increase in parking enforcement simply makes them less interested going downtown.
Jessie Hoffman, a college student, said he only parks downtown when it’s an absolute necessity. He said he’ll either take the trolley or avoid the city completely.
“It can be a nightmare down here sometimes,” Hoffman said. “And I can’t afford to pay all that money every time I park for a few minutes.”
Become More Business Friendly
As of August, police officers and parking enforcement officers had issued 113,635 parking tickets in 2011. But City Councilman David Salvatore said the city shouldn’t be ticketing simply to raise additional funds. He said part of the reason why the city is in a difficult fiscal position is because the the climate that has been created is not business friendly.
“While the state has made some strides in addressing corporate taxes, Providence is not at a competitive advantage yet,” Salvatore said. “One of the barometers that can be measured is the number of people that utilize public transportation. Providence is the second largest city in New England yet conversations that I have had with constituents indicate that public transportation in Providence is not conducive to a major city in the United States.”
Salvatore said he would be open to listening to small businesses if they have ideas on how to address the issue. He also said he believes chronic parking offenders should face stiffer penalties.
“Sharing best practices will be critical in addressing the parking ticket issue,” he said. “Some municipalities have established parking commissions and advisory boards. I am open to this idea. It is important that we listen to small businesses, as they are a major source of revenue for the City and State. Citations should be used as a deterrent to address parking violations, not as a revenue generator. Harsher penalties should be enforced to those who are persistent offenders.
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