In April, the department launched its Parking Fails series on Facebook. As part of the campaign, the department posts on Facebook examples of vehicles wrongly parked – outside designated space lines, on the sidewalk and sticking out into the traffic lane.
The photos are of actual violations documented by parking control officer Dan Griffieth.
Public comments posted on Facebook in response to the parking violation photos have been mixed. One person suggested the city make larger traffic lanes, others found the photos amusing while some said they’d take their business elsewhere or be more careful in how they parked.
Credit: Colleen Peregrin
Credit: Colleen Peregrin
“We aren’t trying to shame anybody by identifying their car. We are putting them out there as violations we are seeing downtown,” said Police Capt. Shawn McKinney. He supervises the parking control officer, who is not a sworn police officer. The license numbers on plates of vehicles posted on the Facebook page are obscured.
Parking complaints in downtown Troy, as in many communities, are not uncommon.
“It seems like we get complaints if we don’t enforce downtown, and if we do. There are always two competing interests,” McKinney said.
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The city was without a parking control officer for nearly a year following the April 2016 retirement of the previous officer.
McKinney said some parking control was done by sworn officers working the streets as time permitted.
The cost of a ticket for the parking violations is $20, if paid within 72 hours. The exception is for handicapped parking violations that carry a $50 fine.
The department issued 18 tickets for improper parking in January, 111 in February, 132 in March and 107 in April, according to city records.
The police department has a file containing notes and letters sent or brought in by people paying the tickets. One note described the ticket for parking too far from the curb as “a bunch of BS” another person who identified themselves as elderly said they were disappointed to be ticketed while visiting the courthouse to pay their taxes. Others questioned the use of police department time.
One person challenged a ticket in Miami County Municipal Court. The hearing was scheduled for last week, but the person ticketed did not show up for court, McKinney said.
Meanwhile, an unrelated parking study contracted by the city is nearly complete, Patrick Titterington, city service and safety director, said. The study is an analysis of parking lots and on-street parking, looking at how they are used, how long a duration someone can park, how much parking is available and whether that number can be increased, he said. The study also is looking at traffic at stoplights around the Public Square and the number of travel lanes in blocks around the square among other issues and opportunities, Titterington said.
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“After all, the most important priority to the mayor and me is the safety of our travelers on the roads,” Titterington said.
The police department provided the following statistics for downtown parking enforcement since January
January:
Improper parking: 18
Overtime parking: 40
Meter violation: 16
Handicapped violation: 0
February:
Improper parking: 111
Overtime parking: 85
Meter violations: 50
Handicapped violations: 1
March
Improper parking: 137
Meter violations: 58
Overtime parking: 74
Handicapped violations: 0
April
Improper parking: 107
Meter violations: 52
Overtime parking: 26
Handicapped violations: 0
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