City eyes parking ticket court charge

[Lenneth]

Toronto drivers are about to get stung if they go to court to fight a parking ticket and lose.City officials have proposed hitting errant motorists who plead guilty in court or are convicted at trial of a parking conviction with a charge of $12.75 on top the regular fine.

Councillors on Toronto’s government management committee will consider putting in place a set-fine parking ticket system which is designed to eliminate the possibility of a justice of the peace cutting people a break.

Officials argue the changes will reduce trial requests from those hoping to get a reduced fine or that the parking enforcement officer who issued them the ticket will fail to show up to court.

“It is definitely not a cash grab,” insisted Anthony Fabrizi, the city’s manager of parking ticket operations. “It’s really about a levelling of the playing field.”
Trial requests were filed for about 11% of the nearly 2.8 million parking tickets issued in the city last year. The majority who requested a trial ended up with convictions.
Noting that trial requests have jumped from just 2.5% in 2004, Fabrizi said people aren’t using the courts as intended when dealing with parking tickets.

Court time should be used to hear legitimate disputes, he argued. Given the fact only 40% show up at their trial date, “that says to us the real intent wasn’t legit,” Fabrizi said. He said the city isn’t expected to bring in more revenue with the change.
Councillor Paul Ainslie, chairman of the government management committee, agreed with the changes.

“If you’re committing a crime, whether it is a parking ticket or speeding, why is the administration being borne by the average taxpayer?” Ainslie said.
He questioned why the city doesn’t charge the full cost of the trial — estimated at around $36. “I’d like to certainly have that discussion,” he said.

Municipal officials also recommend lowering the fine for parking in a spot reserved for the disabled from $450 to $300. The report stresses a $300 fine is a sufficient deterrent “without being overly punitive.”

Committee member Councillor Pam McConnell called the reduction “highly inappropriate” given that those spots are reserved for those who need it.
“Those spaces are very much sought after,” she said. “It should be verboten (to park there without a permit). I don’t know why we would reduce it.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/21/city-eyes-parking-ticket-court-charge

 

[Mvita]

Another cash grab no question about it.

 

[Sam L]

Does it mean more radar cops will be waiting for us in more hidden corners. :