Parking fines in Waynesburg to increase
WAYNESBURG – People parking in Waynesburg Borough should be a little extra cautious in following parking laws starting Sept. 15.
That Monday, a new parking ordinance will be enforced that increases fines for most parking violations from $5 to $20.
The ordinance was to become effective 30 days following its adoption Aug. 11; however, it was decided to begin enforcement Sept. 15, said borough manager Mike Simms.
Council was discussing an increase in parking fines for several months. The fines have not changed since 1986, and some members felt the existing fines were insufficient to discourage violations.
The ordinance increases the fine for violating a two-hour parking limit in the unmetered area of the business district from $5 to $20.
This violation was of particular concern to some council members because of the impact parking spaces being occupied by the same vehicle for much of the day has on local businesses.
Motorists who violate the two-hour limit and are ticketed will be ticketed every two hours if the vehicle is not moved. The two-hour limit will only be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The ordinance also increases fines for other violations that previously were $5 to $20.
This includes fines for parking more than 12 inches from the curb, failing to park within the marked parking space, parking on a sidewalk, parking facing traffic, parking in a permitted area and parking on streets scheduled for street sweeping.
The fines for parking in a loading zone and in a no-parking zone will be $40, and parking in a handicap zone and in front of a fire hydrant will each be $50.
Meter violations will increase from $5 to $10.
Police Chief Rob Toth said he hopes an increase in fines will make a difference in getting people to abide by the parking laws.
One woman came to the police department office Wednesday to pay three parking tickets for a total of $15, Toth said. He said he made a point to tell the woman the next time she’s going to be paying $60 for those same three tickets.
Toth said he didn’t believed the new fines were unreasonably high.
“It’s been 28 years since they were raised,” he said. “Anywhere else, Pittsburgh, even Canonsburg, the fines are much higher.”
In some places, he said, they also tow a vehicle for certain violations without providing any immediate notification to the owner.
Enforcement also will continue to be done without regard to the vehicle’s owner, he said. Some people said they think they are targeted because they are students or because they are employees of the county or certain businesses, he said. “We do not target individuals, we target vehicles that are parked illegally.”
All fines must be paid within five days of the date issued. Failure to pay within five days will result in a doubling of the fine. After 10 days, police will mail a letter to the offender that will also require the payment of an additional $5.48 for invoicing costs.
Failure to pay the fine for a ticket within the time specified by the letter will result in the ticket being turned over to the district judge for prosecution, which will involve additional costs.
Anyone with three unpaid tickets could face having a vehicle booted.
During a public hearing on the ordinance, held at last month’s meeting, no one in attendance spoke in opposition to the ordinance