Who knew we held the solution to Toronto’s parking woes?
While Miller declined to offer any details, an example of an alternative system is used in Charlottetown, where ticketed drivers can pick up a dispute form from the police department or city hall. Submitted forms are then directed to the deputy police chief for a decision.
The driver is notified by telephone within three days of a decision.
I had no idea this process was in place here. Have you, or anyone you know, ever disputed a parking ticket this way?
I’ve been fortunate enough to escape the parking patrols (maybe I have made the right friends — or just park where I am supposed to park ) but I can’t really see this being a good use of city funds. Really — disputing a $5 parking ticket is almost borderline insane. I’d like to see this removed as an option for those who opt to park without paying or park as they please. Maybe if the ticket was $25 or $50, but $5… this seems like an abuse of the system to me.
What do you say, councillor?
I think there’s a place for an appeal process, as long as it’s not being abused. If someone is mistakenly ticketed for parking in a one-hour zone ($25 — only meter tickets are $5 if paid within seven days) they will want to have some recourse. I’ll make some inquiries and find out how many people actually dispute tickets.