Coronavirus Issues Lead to Closed Parking or Suspended Parking Enforcement Across US

With more than 312,000 people infected worldwide with the Covid-19 virus, many cities and counties have restricted access to parking or suspended ticketing and enforcement of parking violations.

After weeks of teens on spring break partying on Florida beaches, the Governor finally took action with State of Florida Executive Order 20-68. In response several Florida counties closed parking lots at public beaches. In northeast Florida, St Johns County and Jacksonville closed parking for all their public beaches starting March 23.

In Cocoa Beach, Florida the city installed new signs banning alcohol on the beach and closing beach parking amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We have to limit the contact between people as much as we can with the resources we have,” Cocoa Beach City Manager Jim McKnight said.

Across the US, several cities and states have suspended parking enforcement. Chicago chose to stop all debt collection, ticketing and impound practices through at least April 30 as the economic toll of the coronavirus continues to increase.  The city will work with the private company that owns Chicago’s meters to ensure ticketing only occurs if there’s something that poses a safety threat. An expired meter at a car that is otherwise legally parked will not result in a ticket. Though the city will lose the money it could make from ticketing in the short term, helping keep Chicagoans out of bankruptcy will be far better for Chicago in the long term, officials said.

At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, all but one parking lot will be closed — a change that reflects the sharp decline in airline traffic caused by the coronavirus.

San Francisco and San Jose chose to suspend parking enforcement during the coronavirus outbreak. San Jose on Tuesday said it was suspending parking citations and vehicle abatement across the city for the foreseeable future.

“Parking officers will not be ticketing for parking violations, or towing abandoned or illegally stored vehicles on city streets,” the Bay Area’s largest city said in a statement. “Vehicles parked in an unsafe manner will be referred to the San Jose Police Department.”

Parking garages in downtown San Jose will continue to operate — with limited staffing — so that people can access essential services, according to the city’s release.

San Francisco also implemented changes to its enforcement strategies. The city is temporarily suspending enforcement for violations of 72-hour parking limits and residential permit parking and peak-hour towaway zones.

Long Beach officials announced a new plan for residents Saturday, March 21, that will give free parking to residents while also allowing the city to continue street sweeping. To give residents some time to adjust to the new plan, officials also announced the city has extended the current suspension of street sweeping tickets. Normal street sweeping will resume Monday, March 30.

The Pittsburgh Parking Authority suspended parking enforcement and the city is taking other measures to further restrict face-to-face encounters between city workers and residents during the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition to suspending parking enforcement, the parking authority also is ending hand-to-hand transactions at its garages. Attendants and security will still be on hand for safety reasons.

California cities including Fresno, San Diego and Santa Monica will limit parking enforcement and issuance of citations to holiday or Sunday enforcement regulations. They have also suspended collection of citation fees.

These examples show the unexpected impact of the pandemic, not just for local businesses but also for the budgets of cities across the United States. Several of the cities changing their parking enforcement have specifically mentioned their goal of reducing financial burdens on residents during this health crisis.

 

 

Health Crisis Trend: Will Local Governments Suspend Parking Fees to Help Local Businesses?

How far will cities and counties go to help local businesses struggling from the lack of traffic as a result of the Covid-19 Coronavirus?

Bloomfield, NJ will be suspending parking meter enforcement immediately. This comes after the township announced that it would be suspending alternate side parking rules for the rest of March. “Small businesses are a critical part of our community and with people avoiding going out at this time we believe this will be an incentive for people to stop in to our local businesses,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “This in conjunction with our plan to cease enforcement of alternate side parking rules should make parking in Bloomfield easier for residents and visitors during this tumultuous time. However, two hour neighborhood parking restrictions will remain in place.”

Additionally, in order to better allow our residents access to restaurants, fifteen minute parking signs will be put on meters outside restaurants to encourage customers to do curbside pickup. 

Want to Live in City Where Your Don’t Have to Pay Parking Tickets?

Apparently You Don’t Have to Pay Your Parking Tickets in Cleveland

A third of all parking tickets issued over the last three years by the city of Cleveland remain unpaid, an investigation by News 5 Cleveland has revealed. Since 2000, the city has accumulated $45.6 million worth of uncollected fines.

That means millions of owed dollars that should have gone directly to the city’s general fund (which helps pay for parks, streets and police and fire stations) have yet to be collected.

As the city no longer employs a third-party collection agency, something that many other major cities use, it’s far easier for people who have one or two parking tickets to simply ignore increased fines and not pay.

When a driver has racked up more than three tickets, that’s when the city seems to have some leverage by not allowing a person to renew their vehicle registration with the state until the fine is paid.

 

Washington D.C. issues record $1 billion in traffic and parking tickets, AAA calls it ‘predatory’

WASHINGTON — D.C. has long been considered one of the most expensive places in the country for traffic fines, seeing a steady climb year to year in tickets issued and revenue generated. But recently the District broke into stunning new territory, issuing more than $1 billion in tickets in just three years.
John Townsend, Public Relations Manager of AAA Mid-Atlantic closely monitors the District’s ticketing behavior. He says this is a money-making operation that can’t prove these high fines have made anyone safer.
The District hasn’t done any studies to provide evidence that D.C.’s cameras, and the high fines, translate to fewer accidents, fewer injuries and fewer deaths.

Nearly three million motorists were on the receiving end of traffic and parking citations last year, totaling $375 million.
In a study comparing the nation’s 25 largest metro areas, D.C. had the highest traffic fines per capita by a long shot at $170 per person, the next closest, Chicago, was $101.
AAA is likely to declare Washington, D.C. a “traffic trap” (or speed trap as it is commonly referred to) to its 60 million members.
From story by ABC7