Have you gotten a parking ticket recently?
The city of Columbus just made some changes, increasing many parking ticket fines but also reworking the system to give those who pay a ticket early a discount.
If someone gets a parking ticket for forgetting to pay the meter or staying in a spot too long, that's now a $70 ticket. That's more than double the previous fine of $30.
Paying seven days early or sooner, however, can earn violators a $20 discount on that $70 ticket. Similar fines were adjusted for other violations.
The city has a range of violations that include parking in prohibited areas, like in a bike lane or on a sidewalk, or those for violating parking rules like overstaying a meter or parking in a handicap spot.
Those fines now range from a minimum of $20 with the early bird discount to a maximum of $510 if someone illegally parks in a handicap spot and incurs a late fee.
Columbus Mobility and Parking Services Administrator Justin Goodwin said this wasn't about increasing revenue for the city.
"It's about promoting safety, safeties of our streets and making sure that we're ensuring fair access to on-street parking, making sure we're getting that turnover in high-demand areas and in commercial corridors so people can get where they're trying to go," Goodwin said.
Goodwin said the city hopes the higher fees will also deter violators.
In addition to changing the fee structure, the city also pushed back when late fees take effect from 10 days to 30 days.
