Parking tickets in Boston could soon be based on violators' income
Other Boston city councilors suggested eliminating online transaction fees and interest instead
Drivers in Boston could soon pay less for parking tickets.
A new proposal was presented to the Boston City Council this week calling for an income-adjusted parking ticket system that would be reflective of the financial issues residents face.
How much a violator pays would depend on how much they make.
“I am introducing legislation on income-adjusting parking tickets so low-income families don’t have to decide between paying a parking ticket or putting food on their table,” city councilor at-large Julia Mejia wrote on Twitter.
City councilors, on the other hand, had mixed reactions: “While I certainly appreciate the intent and the impetus for this hearing order, I’m not sure that it is the right approach,” Councilor Matt O’Malley said at the meeting. “It does seem very, very difficult.”
DRIVERS WITH EXPENSIVE CARS LESS LIKELY TO STOP FOR PEDESTRIANS
Other Boston lawmakers suggested alternatives to the income-adjusted plan, according to Boston.com, such as eliminating online transaction fees and scrapping added interest.
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Tickets in the city, according to a report, range from $15 to $120 and can tick up even more due to late fees. In 2019, according to the hearing order, Boston issued more than 1 million parking tickets, which generated $61 million. That same year, changes were made to the ticketing pricing structure which increased the cost of certain violations nearly twofold.
Boston ranked fifth on a list of 25 major U.S. cities that make the most in tickets per capita.