No mention in this article of the underlying problem. Fewer and fewer people obey the law, because the chances of being caught and fined are reaching zero because enforcement is so limited. The absence of police/traffic personnel on the streets is stunning, and enabling. I grew up in California, where I wouldn't dream, for example, of parking in a bus stop, if for no other reason than fear of getting a big ticket. Here in my fair city, people park with total impunity in a bus stop in front of a grocery, even when people are waiting for the bus. We don't need volunteers, we need to hire more officers!
44
@Toni Lee de Lantsheere: so....why aren't there more officers? Cambridge MA is a very wealthy city.
1
This may well be the worst idea ever. This will be a magnet for fellows like George Zimmerman who see themselves as protectors of the public. And make no mistake about it: some of these clowns will arm themselves. There will be racially charged conflicts and abuses of power by the score.
Anyone who has ever lived in a condominium is familiar with the sorts of people who gravitate toward these positions. Busybodies, snoops and thieves, (I once lived in a condo where one of the board members stole a ladder from me). Oy vey!
64
I'm with you.
12
@Tom Chapman: I have had some busybody neighbors and people who believe -- despite reality -- that they OWN the parking on the street in front of the houses and get very nasty if others park there.
I also know people who would do nearly ANYTHING to get revenge on an ex spouse or former boss -- including following them around to catch them parking illegally -- remember, the source of the photo is ANONYMOUS so the accused has no way of proving it is the ex who is harassing them!
OR the harassed person catches the "volunteer" taking photos -- attacks them, smashes the cellphone -- come on, there are a THOUSAND ways this could go very wrong.
And are volunteers covered by workman's comp if they are injured this way?
7
@Tom Chapman busybodies, snoops and thieves? Reminds me of a Cher song:
Gypsy's, tramps, and thieves
We'd hear it from the people of the town
They'd call us gypsy's, tramps, and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
2
All the comments here, that are against this idea, obviously come from the half of the population who feels picked on when they are caught doing something that " everyone else does". If you don't violate the laws, you shouldn't have an issue with penalizing those who do. Just stay out of it. Anything that frees up the police for more important things helps the bottom line, that being our taxes.
1
In Oregon, citizens can write up infractions of the motor vehicle code. http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/06/every_oregon_driver_is_a_traff.html It requires proper documentation, swearing before a police officer as to the infraction, plus appearing in court - a significant commitment of time and not likely done frivolously. It happens less often than many of the commenters in this thread fear and does not support worst case scenario spinners.
Wow! The city wants the revenue from the parking tickets but doesn't want to hire/pay any employees to do the work. Magic - volunteers work for free and the city gets the money. Sounds like a recipe for abuse. Just think who in your neighborhood would volunteer.
At the risk of asking the obvious question, why does this have to be a volunteer position? I recognize that NYC is not a typical city, but if I walked around here for a full hour there is no doubt that I could identify at least a half dozen illegally parked cars. Now let’s assume that I instead was a “Parking Enforcement Monitor” who was well trained in all the skills alluded to in the article, and paid $25 per hour by the City. And let’s make the additional conservative assumption that I am fairly lazy and only write a measly 2 tickets per hour, rather than the half dozen I see as possible. At $50 apiece, or $100 per hour, that revenue to the City would well exceed the cost of my compensation. It could also provide meaningful employment, particularly for the often age-discriminated 50+ group, who also statistically are less inclined to engage in verbal/physical confrontations with parking offenders.
5
Whoa. In the wrong hands, this opens the door to bullying thy POC/gay/trans/Wrong Political Party neighbor. The person in my neighborhood most likely to sign up would be a terror. She's bad enough on FB. Why encourage petty tyrants?
4
Can I issue a ticket to Donald Trump for being illegally parked inside the White House?
What's next? Garbage can/bag inspectors?
4
Wow. Every city run by Condo Commandos.
4
I think this would be awesome in my neighborhood. We have a corner where people constantly run a stop sign! If I could give tickets, the city would be rich!
1
this will be an epic fail.
the type of person driven to volunteer for this type of program has a very stern view of what is right and wrong and who gets to bend what rules.
That type of thinking will be extremely difficult to weed out and control against.
Furthermore there will be people who automatically claim their ticket was race based instead of fact based and demand a free pass because of it.
I see lawsuits coming.
3
Anyone who has spent a few minutes on NextDoor or your local town Facebook group could easily see that this would be a horrible idea.
In the age of social activism, giving someone that kind of power over their neighbors is giving a child a gun.
I'm sure others have similar stories - Recently, in my relatively affluent, gay neighborhood, a neighbor photographed and posted the photo on the town's social media site and called the police while publicly shaming this neighbor. The infraction? Part of the rear bumper of their car temporarily jutted into the sidewalk area. There was no impediment to sidewalk movement. This is a suburb. imagine giving this neighbor power to dole out tickets? There are too many armchair activists out there to make this sensible.
5
I would love it. Here in NYC, where parking is already a nightmare, there are cars that routinely don't move for street cleaning every week. Sometimes they are ticketed; more often not.
And when they don't move the street cleaners can't clean the street well, which in turn blocks up the sewers, besides being an eyesore. It's so selfish.
1
Just what we’ve always wanted, NextDoor with badges!
5
NO. My reason why "NO" is my own experience with neighborhood bullies. We moved to a new neighborhood. Got an anonymous note that our car was parked in the wrong direction. Other neighbors informed us who the note came from. We ignored the note and parked the way we parked. But I noticed, these letter- leaving neighbors, who had four cars for two people parking on the street, left two of their cars there for MONTHS, despite a 72 hour parking rule. They loved to complain about others, just not observe the laws themselves. They would complain to neighbors about noise, but left their pomeranians to bark for hours. They would complain about someone's house color, but left their half patched up house for 2 years before repainting. These bullies counted not the fact that no one would turn them in.
I don't think bullies should be given more power over other people. They are problem enough.
3
What happened to Meter Maids? That seemed like a good system.
7
For more than 20 years the city of Houston has had a Volunteer Disabled Parking Enforcement program that allows members of the public to issue (now $500) parking citations to individuals who park in properly marked disabled parking spaces who don't have disabled license plates or a disabled parking placard displayed in their vehicle.
There are now thousands of volunteers in the program. I was part of the inaugural group in the first session to become authorized to issue citations, volunteer ID #004.
5
Please tell me who the “right” people would be? I can’t help but feel that anyone who would volunteer for this would automatically be the “wrong” people. Sorry!
15
I would love to be able to do this for cars illegally parked in handicapped spots. I noticed how often this happened when my mom was in a wheelchair and I got a placard to drive her around.
11
@Azucena
As noted in my previous comment, the city of Houston has a program (https://www.houstontx.gov/parking/volunteer.html) authorized around by the state as it exists in other cities around TX. Contact Round Rock's Mayor's Office and ask if such a program exists. If not, go before the City Counsel and propose it.
As volunteers, we're allowed to issue citations on private property with public access (shopping centers, etc.) where LEOs cannot unless Property Mgmt calls 1st.
View the website to get more information and contact the city of Houston Mayor's Office for PWD.
@Azucena, I haveMS, with major mobility issues. Not in a wheelchair, but wear a brace and walk with a stick that I refuse to call a cane. I have little business-card size messages that I place under the windshield when I see cars illegally parked that say "You don't appear to be handicapped. Why are you parking here?" I don't know if it works, but I feel better.
5
Bad idea. A few years ago a senior Defense Department staffer living on Capitol Hill was arrested for attacking a neighbor’s nanny’s car which he thought was parked too often in his block. And he was just the kind of person who would sign up for this program.
5
Proposals like this are for revenue generation, disguised as public safety and sooner or later will get some over zealous "enforcer" maimed or killed.
9
All for it. Could it be used against people who text while driving?
3
I would not want my neighbors to have the power to give me tickets, nor would I want that power over them. Large urban communities are low-trust environments with high crime. Any private citizen who engages in this type of project will become a target for retaliation. The answer is self-policing, but that only happens in environments where people are conscientious and care about their neighbors and neighborhood. Unfortunately, that is likelier to happen in high trust--smaller--communities where people know each other. But in the anonymity of the big city, no one cares and people do what they want. That is why people flock to them, for the sense of freedom without constraint. The grittiness follows as a result. That is the price to pay for urban living.
10
@Barbara
In the 20+ years I've been part of the city of Houston's Volunteer Disabled Parking Enforcement Program and the 100s of citations issued, I've only had one encounter that the person receiving the citation became outright belligerent. It turned out he was the owner of the local property management of the small shopping center. It was early morning, none of the businesses were open and the parking lot was empty.
Many of the car owner's who returned to their car while I was still writing the citation would try to argue and promise they'd never do it again. They'd proffer the excuse "they just ran into the convenience store 'for a minute' (hence convenience)." but my reply was the same, "Unless you forgot to display your placard, here's the citation."
UPS and Fed-Ex are also big violators of parking in disabled parking.
1
Perfect for the gig economy - someone works for free and another company gets the revenue!
4
I've always thought that a town should have a separate traffic enforcement section whose sole job is traffic enforcement, which includes DUI. It should be properly funded, but the funds raised from violations is all funneled into local K-12 education. An extra expense, of course, but once such a move was examined, money paths could be shifted around a bit.
I've mostly lived in college towns, and the horrific amount of traffic violations is reason enough for a dedicated team of traffic enforcement officers. As a bicyclist too, there is more than enough need for more enforcement of basic vehicular operation rules for both motorized and non-motorized. I'm all for the cameras, about which down South they scream bloody murder - privacy, you know. Can't get caught speeding with your neighbor's wife or hubby in the car next to you!
I actually have taken to wear a GoPro on my bike when I ride now, mostly for my own safety, but oh how I wish I could walk into the local Police and/or Sheriff office and tell them they need to review the vid and take down a few license plate numbers. Can't tell you how many times I've had vehicles come within 6 inches of me (much better here in Ohio, fyi). Down South I began to keep an unofficial (mental - ha!) tally of the incidents: generally, Sunday mornings were worst, with black SUVs most common, and more often with little 'fish' emblems on them. Apparently, being late for church makes it okay to drive like a fool, and near-miss cyclists.
I encountered a group of people on a street in Bogotá, Colombia that had called in a tow truck to clear a vehicle parked in a traffic lane. To make things more fun, they were dressed in matching costumes. When the tow truck arrived they did a fun little chant. Lest you doubt my story, I had video to back it up.
I live in Washington DC. I do not own an automobile. I love our parking enforcement officers. They aggressively enforce parking regulations and do a great job.
2
I would go careful on this. While involving citizens re crime prevention is good, you also don't want to turn the public into a vigilante group. A prime example of this is our national gun culture under the guise of 2nd amendment right turning the country into a killing zone instead of what the framers intended, a well regulated militia.
I would start with a pilot program with selected offenses and selected citizens to document them.
One example that comes to mind is to have busses with cameras that photograph people who block bus stops.
Perhaps after that let any citizen document selected serious offenses like blocking fire hydrants, discarded fridges with their doors on etc.
3
I see so many bad drivers on the road today — cops included — that I often fantasize about how much revenue I could generate for our local government if it gave me the authority to issue tickets for a day. But it should stay a fantasy. No average citizen should be allowed to cite others for traffic or parking violations.
I can remember a time when only professional journalists were the gatekeepers of our news. Then we allowed everyone to post what they thought was news on social media and we can see how that worked out. Things will end up much worse if you give the Average Joe ticketing authority.
Leave traffic and parking violations to the cops and meter maids.
3
Crowd sourcing traffic enforcement? In five years every city in America will have an app. The only downside I see is accidents caused by people driving unsafely because they are making videos of scofflaws.
3
Dear Ms.Gloria J. Browne-Marshall; Just how is writing an illegally parked car a ticket involve "racial profiling"? Generally a car parked is empty, and it usually isn't difficult to determine if it's in an illegal location. I'm tired of every enforcement action being labeled as racial profiling, and does it include black volunteers writing a white person a ticket? Everyone knows that the only way to get people to comply with laws is to attach a financial burden to the risk of being caught. Most traffic offenders are habitual in their behavior, and the police need all the help they can get. Right now the roads in this country are a free-for-all; police are too busy and outnumbered to properly enforce traffic laws and people know it.
4
Sounds like a great idea to me! Being an anonymous submission, maybe we can now report all those "trained" law enforcers who speed on the highway, talk on their cell phone while driving and text while on a detail.
1
This article has me remembering that early Sunday a.m. walkabout my wife and I were taking in a quiet DC neighborhood (not far from Dupont Circle) while there on a business trip of hers. We stood amazed as a man pulled up to a partial, parallel parking spot in front of large homes. It was just enoguh for him to enter the nose of his BMW and proceed to "bulldoze the front car forward", then he did the same thing with his rear bumper thus creating just enough room to place his car tightly between them both.
Would I not have loved to write that guy up as he damaged three cars to get in his spot! One of those dumb things we see even more often on the road today. Honestly, I have zero parking concerns in my rural lifestyle in a county with zero redlights and parking all over on my place, it's a moot notion for us.
One son had problems with people blocking his apartment driveway to the garage that came with his unit in TX. He was barred from exiting to drive to work one weekend workday and had someone towed but still arrived several hours late to his pilot job.
7
How could NYC police avoid giving tickets to their friends and families if private citizens could issue summonses?
How about we go step further and offer the private citizens bounties. I'm retired and would love to supplement my pension by going around and ticketing people violating traffic laws.
NYC has over 30,000 police officers and I rarely see one giving a ticket yet I see multiple violations every time I drive.
6
I'm concerned about racial profiling when citizens are deputized without much oversight. Several years ago, I used to do medical housecalls for some of my elderly, homebound patients. One day, I parked on the street in a wealthy, mostly white neighborhood to visit one of them. Keep in mind this was a residential street with no signs prohibiting parking. As soon as I got out -- despite my white coat and medical bag-- an elderly Caucasian woman came out from a nearby house and demanded I move my car. I told her that she did not own the street and proceeded to my patient's home. My patient's family heard the commotion and came out to confront the lady. Eventually, she backed down and I finished my house call. Do you think it was any coincidence she did this because I was a younger, minority woman? These are the type of people who would apply for such a position.
30
@ms
How do you do a racial profile on a parked car?
asking for a friend.
12
@elle
That's easy- If it's a low rider it must be a Latino.. a Cadillac or Lincoln is an African-American ... any SUV is a white woman soccer mom.
11
@ms Unless maybe you drive a "low rider", a "rice burner", or something on 24" rims, its kind of hard to racially profile based on a parked car.
In the example you gave, there was no violation. Had she taken a picture of your legally parked car, the city would have thrown it out (and probably removed her from the program for wasting their time). Nobody is giving the volunteer the power to actually write tickets.
1
This is nothing more than another revenue raising gimmick from the D.C. government. For decades the city has been exploiting every possible means to suck more money out of it's residents and visitors: Wall to wall speed and red light cameras, making it nearly impossible to contest tickets, issuing parking tickets until 10:00PM, eliminating parking garages and lots, regularly increasing fines, incoherent parking sign language, issuing parking tickets on Saturdays, armies of aggressive meter maids. Every city has parking violations. D.C. is one of the greedy few who want to exploit the phenomenon by "hiring" free enforcers to harass it's overtaxed residents and maximize revenue. This game is transparently disingenuous.
7
@Craig Willison I hear you except for the greedy part. If DC could charge a toll on its inbound bridges for instance maybe that would not be so aggressive about parking. But every day drivers come in from surrounding states who pay nothing to come into the city. Go to any construction site in the city and see how many trucks of workers are parked with disability placards. The city has to raise money with congressionally limited options. That's not greed.
1
I'm all for it as long as members of the LGBTQ community are exempt.
2
NYC already allows anyone to report violations committed by taxi drivers to the TLC via the 311 website. If the complaint includes photographic or video evidence, it almost always is upheld. I've filed three and the driver pleaded guilty every time.
The city should expand this program to allow complaints against private drivers. No need to train or "deputize" anyone, simply provide a mechanism for people to file the complaint and then the government can validate it.
8
The observations and pictures should be done by volunteers but any enforcement by letters from officials with accompanying proofs.
We should have cellphone police that work in this manner.
1
I'm a bit confused by this article. The need cited is supported with reports of traffic accidents and bicyclists killed by motorists. It's not clear what that has to do with parking.
34
@TenToes
"Mr. Allen said it had become clear to him that the usual process for citizens’ reports — in which a witness calls in a violation, and law enforcement officials then respond to the scene, often arriving too late to see the violation for themselves — has been ineffective."
Volunteers will be on the lookout for moving violations, as well, hence the 96 hrs of training, including CPR.
@TenToes: it is to emotionally involve you -- I mean, who isn't horrified by traffic accidents? -- so you AGREE with this nasty Big Brother-ism form of rat-finking on your neighbors.
2
@Concerned Citizen I apologize if that is the impression I gave. I do not agree with the 'nasty Big Brother-ism form of rat-finking on your neighbors'. I agree with this statement of yours and find the idea abhorrent, another slide down the slippery slope to fascism.
2
I hate scofflaws, but way to start an altercation! Citizens can report an issue or file a complaint, but enforcement is best left to the professionals. And let's hope they exercise some judgment and behave as professionals.
10
In my neighborhood in Forest Hills, placards and their cars for DAs, cops, police surgeons, etc. litter crosswalks, alternate side parking, no standing, bus stops- just about everywhere there is space without any fear of violations. Great perk! But illegal.
Just today I asked an officer why he did not write the $150 fine for a car parked in a crosswalk. He responded, “big trouble for me with my boss.” Car had a police surgeon placard.
I’d happily volunteer to write these so called on the job jerks. Dirty streets, blocked crosswalks, dangerous bus exits- all for a free parking space must stop.
9
Just another bad idea in an era of bad ideas. Now they want citizens to enforce the city’s parking laws. That’s ridiculous and should insult your intelligence. The likelihood of abuse is far too prevalent.
9
Agreed! Very bad idea. Imagine if a neighbors saw who wrote the tix on their street and words got out, I'm sure the tix writer will get his car tire or house shot at if he/she wrote the tix to the wrong people. When I say wrong people is they're are gangs/criminals/mafia/drug dealers etc. Remember now that everyone house have video surveillance cameras and cell phone to catch the snicth working for the cop. god lord please don't do it.
1
My dream is to see a citizens patrol issue tickets to every person with a "service animal" .. These people have exploited the "persons with disabilities act" far greater than the immigrants who claim asylum at the border.
The current law they exploit allows them do to the following:
1. Allow a dog unfettered access to any public establishment
2. Allow a dog to be UNLICENSED without display of a registered tag -- so nobody if the dog is carrying worms.
3. Allow the dog handler the ability to sue anyone who pets the dog without consent or permission.
This must STOP immediately!
Each time I enter the grocery store I think I am at the Westminster Dog Tournament... This gross, self centered behavior must come to an end.
If you can't leave your house without your dog- then perhaps you are better off staying inside.
You are defiling and beguiling the very purpose for the actual citizens with disabilities who truly rely on legitimate service and guide dogs - more importantly the people who are unable to afford a real guide dog.
You Whole Foods liberals make me sick!
Citizens on Patrol -- Find these people and ticket them!
8
@Aaron, I think we have so much abuse of the "service animal" exception because our overall rules for animals in public spaces are so silly. We ought to just let small- and medium-sized dogs who are well-behaved and have all their health certificates into grocery stores, restaurants, bars, etc. This is what they do in France, with very few problems. As things stand in most of the U.S., these dogs must be left at home, or wait outside, while any human being can come into an establishment and give everyone the flu or measles.
4
@Aaron
I'd rather be in an establishment with a well-cared-for dog than a petri dish of a school-age kid. And they're allowed EVERYWHERE.
2
That idea was implemented a few years ago in Buenos Aires. There's an app that lets users take pictures of offending vehicles and uploads them for consideration. The most frequent complaint is that it doesn't solve the problem right away. Homeowners frequently find cars parked in front of their driveways, and while they can report the car, they still have the problem of not having access (tow trucks only operate in zones with parking meters). In the end, receiving a ticket in the future doesn't solve the problem in the present.
I haven't heard of people getting in trouble while reporting a violation, so that may not be a concern.
2
The idea is unacceptable. The proposal is fomented by a group of cyclist activists who are enraged that their freedom to weave in and out of traffic, regularly run traffic signs and signals, ride on sidewalks endangering pedestrians and remain immune from even the most basic traffic laws and courtesy. Comments in the Washington Post by cyclists indicate that they expect to be the traffic law enforcers. There is no provision in the legislation to train "citizen enforcers" about the law, how to handle citizens, or whether they will be required to be present - as are law enforcement officers - when a citizen appeals their case. The proposal effectively legitimizes an unregulated vigilante force; perhaps they could be issue uniforms - brown-shirts seem appropriate. It is both custom and law in the United States that the police powers are reserved in their entirety to the state and that only those trained in police procedures may legitimately enforce the law. It's good custom and good law.
12
@Golem18 The second sentence of this comment should have ended with "will be curtailed." Apologies.
3
I would definitely sign up to do Code Enforcement violations in my city. Or, unregistered or expired registered cars on public streets for the traffic division.
2
I hope you changed your volunteerism. Imagine if you wrote a tix to people like gang members or drug dealer and they know who you are. You're are dead as a worm. That's why all laws enforcement officers have their home address and phone number block/hidden from the public.
Not a good idea. There are already difficult situations with newcomers in DC neighborhoods attempting to exercise unwarranted control over the legacy residents. Giving these newcomers legal rights to harass and terrorize others without the risk/responsibility for their actions is asking for trouble.
Strengthen existing traffic enforcement instead. Change the rule/law from unpaid parking and photo enforcement tickets MAY result in a vehicle being immobilized to the vehicle WILL be immobilized and drivers' licenses will not be renewed if a specific dollar amount or quantity of tickets are outstanding. Hire more traffic enforcement staff. If the amateur Joe Fridays want to hire on as official traffic enforcement, that is fine. If the traffic situation is as bad as alleged, the extra revenue will pay for the expanded enforcement system.
6
I agreed with you but these traffic enforcers aka tix writers should not get pension plan, only 401k retirement plan styles. Don't want to create another legacy cost for the tax payers.
Sounds like an old western posse. Just deputize a horde of citizens to write up the inappropriate parkers. At the same time they can corral drivers using their cell phones improperly. Maybe round up owners not curbing their dogs. This may be the solution to littering. Are these people getting paid? Are there benefits, family leave, sick pay, vacations,...?
3
@Vincent Smith - Yes, it is.
@Vincent Smith
>Are these people getting paid? Are there benefits, family leave, sick pay, vacations,...?
Volunteer implies that they do not receive compensation for this
3
I laud this idea.
I'd also welcome deputizing citizens to give tickets to people who are violating the driving while distracted thing -- you know, ON THE PHONE.
GREAT idea, DC. Innovative, smart, and well-thought.
9
This is a very stupid idea. How long before a Volunteer is beaten and/or Shot ? How about one that decides to get a little payback ? Or someone that decides to punish another, that might not " respect my authority."
Way too much potential for abuse, in a blatant Money Grab.
Sad.
28
@Phyliss Dalmatian This is for parking violations. And all the volunteer does is take a picture with a smart phone. Anyone can take a picture of a parked car at any time, and if the car is parked, chances are the owner isn't even around. If actual parking attendants and tow truck drivers aren't getting beaten and shot, why would you think a random person taking a picture and walking away would be? What exactly is the potential for abuse? A third party with the city looks at the pictures. If you are parked in the red zone, you get the ticket. If you aren't, you don't. Having photo evidence means way less potential for abuse than the more common system of "if a cop states it, it must be true"
18
@Jacob I am a disabled vet and have over the last 5 years been sited three times at Christmas when they use volunteers, for not displaying my handicap sticker. The problem is it was displayed. The law states that it must be displayed in the window or on the dash. Each time it was on the dash but not visible in the photo they submitted to the court. The judge ruled against me each time because it was not in the photo . It cost me $25 each time.
Before you comment about not hanging it on the mirror I don't have a mirror its an old vehicle the mirror fell off years ago.
12
You have chosen to make your life unnecessarily complicated effectively victimizing yourself. Without a mirror the car won’t pass inspection and if you have had a placard for multiple years it is time to move up to a plate.
3
Do this in NYC and maybe cops who park anywhere and everywhere will finally get tickets.
55
@Mark Alberts: hahaahahahahahaha....uh....no.
No, they won't.
Remember, once the photo is sent, the police have a judgement call about actually issuing a citation. They never cite their own.
4
@Mark Alberts
LEOs drive police cars. Police cars have special license plates which allows them to park wherever they want/need.
This is a fantastic idea, and one that would tie in nicely with a plan I have been espousing for quite some time. A way for NYC to generate massive amounts of revenue AND relieve vehicle congestion.
Think about it, civilian traffic wardens who patrol their neighborhoods and ticket double parked and illegally park vehicles. ALL vehicles including FedEx, UPS, USPS, the delivery trucks for on-line grocery stores., private vehicles, etc. Ticket them even if there's someone sitting in it. Cars parked in bus stops, "just picking something up", "waiting for my sister", etc. And the fines! Make them HUGE $500, $1,000, $2,000, HIGHER for repeat offenders.
Commercial trucks delivering to business?...designate loading zones where needed. We found space for Citi Bike, removing parking spaces, we can do the same for business deliveries.
This plan would make millions needed for public transportation, much quicker and easier to enforce than "congestion area fees". Come on government, USE YOUR IMAGINATION. Be Bold. Do your job.
22
@John Paul Esposito UPS and Fed Ex would need to write massive checks to local government to buy immunity. Hmmm. Perhaps they are doing that now.
1
Why not? With ubiquitous phones, it's actually quite easy to prove after the fact whether a car is properly parked or not.
Think about how quicly the placecard abuse problem would be resolved
8
I am really looking forward to ticketing my next door neighbors who have THREE cars parked on my block ,( where parking is impossible) AND one of the cars been stuck in reverse for a year and never moves!!!!!
26
@claudia Precisely why this bill should languish in the dustbin of bad ideas. It's simply too easy for people to get even with their neighbors for real and imagined slights and infractions and feuds. The bill should be trashed.
10
Put up cameras. They check speed, red light, cellphone usage, staying in your lane etc. They read license plates and tickets are issued automatically. If you think you have received a citation in error you can look at the footage online. They have installed plenty of those that in Dubai, and it does wonders for driving discipline. And it generates revenues for government from those who can't drive. It is win win win!
18
@Beyond Repair I can't for the life of me figure out why this isn't obvious to everyone and done universally. The only thing I can guess is maybe too many voters (or too many government officials?) regularly speed and text while driving, and they don't actually want those laws enforced
15
What a great idea, with lots of upsides!
One downside is that deputizing civilians to issue parking tickets could potentially expose them to verbal abuse or even physical harm if the perp arrives on the scene while the violation is being documented, but presumably these “deputies” will have means of instantly alerting and calling for help from “real” policemen.
4
@Mon Ray The article said nothing about deputising or issuing tickets. It says they can take a picture, and submit it to the city, which in turn would review and mail a citation if a violation did occur. People take pictures of badly parked cars all the time (check the internet for hours of examples). Less risky than unarmed parking enforcement or tow truck drivers who are obvious and actually have to stick around for some time to do their job.
6
@Jacob I’m not an attorney and therefore cannot opine on the legalities of the matter. However, in effect the “volunteers” are acting as agents of the city government (deputies may be too strong a word) and can do things that lead to production of citations, fines, incarceration, etc. In contrast, such photos, even if they include geotags and time stamps, would probably not lead to issuance of citations, fines, etc. if taken by ordinary citizens.
Besides, I bet the volunteers think of themselves as deputies, even though they know they’re not.
4
@Mon Ray
Friend of mine is a prosecutor. She says nobody except on TV says “perp”
1
I believe this is a bad idea and someone is eventually going to get hurt. I used to watch silly cable shows about meter maids and tow drivers and saw what things can lead to. To me, this is an even more dangerous recipe for trouble.
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@Darrell @Darrell Unlike towing a car, taking a picture takes about 5-10 seconds, and is pretty quiet and discreet.
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Not sure. People get nasty with meter maids too. I've seen it. Eventually someone will come up on someone doing this, ascertain they're "civilian" and feel extra-entitled to really go nuts on them.
To me that's not a pie-in-the-sky scenario.
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A better idea would be to teach people to look both ways before blindly walking out in a crosswalk. This used to be a common practice. It amazing to me how often I witness close calls at crosswalks. The law states vehicles must stop for a person or cyclist in the crosswalk. That does not however mean pedestrians/cyclists should just walk into a busy street and into moving traffic without stopping at the curb to look/assess the.motor vehicle traffic. While we are at it, cyclists should obey applicable traffic laws as well. I'm a cyclist as well as a motor vehicle driver but I don't place my personal safety in the hands of motorists by flouting the rules and flying into intersections and running red lights as is often the case in Washington by many D.C. cyclists. There appears to be no police enforcement of this dangerous activity. If this measure is approved it will attract the worst type of people and create a snitch culture. Next will be camera phone dog poo patrols. It is a.stupid idea. There are about 12 police forces here in D.C. most all of them can write tickets.
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@Richard Ehrenberg so do you want more police enforcement, or do you want the police to not know about traffic crimes? Complaining about both "snitching" and lack of enforcement at the same time doesn't make that much sense, does it? How can the police enforce traffic violations that they aren't around to see?
I would like people to stop walking in front of my car without so much as a glance. This is just more grief for motorists and businesses. Enforcement is the job of D.C.D.O.T. and the Police. There is not enough parking because the city keeps losing parking spaces (and revenue) to bike Lanes, most of which are not required and little used. The city has an excellent 311 serve phone number for reporting of violations. This new program is not required.
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I think it's a great idea. Every day when I go for a walk I see plenty of cars parked illegally across my condo and I think: if only the police would let me ticket these people! I'm glad DC is thinking about it!
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Good idea. With trillions about to be wasted blowing up Iran, the US won’t be able to afford real police anyway. Replace everyone with interns and free labour. Wave of the future.
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That’s insanity. Couple that with the right to bear arms and you know where this is going. What has happened to our society? When I read stuff like this, I think we’ve gone mad. We’ve lost all manner of common sense and our ability to think through decisions that affect the common good.
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California has plenty of community enforcement officers and I am grateful. Without them people would park on their front lawns, double park in store lots, handicap or red zones.
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@Aaron: OR maybe you could accept you are a car-centric culture where people MUST DRIVE to get to where they must be, and therefore, you should build ample parking everywhere.
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@Concerned Citizen
That's not the case and you know it.. These people park in those spaces because it's closer to the store entrance and they don't want to walk the 40 extra steps. Now you know why 65% of this country is obese!
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