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The New Bedford Traffic Commission last month unanimously approved a Police Department proposal to increase penalties for most parking violations and add fines for several others.
Under the new ordinance, most parking violations carrying $10 fines will increase to $25, including parking the wrong way on a one-way street and parking within 20 feet of an intersection. Most $15 and $25 fines will increase to $50, including double parking, parking in a no parking area, parking within five feet of a driveway and parking on a sidewalk.
The largest increase will be the fine for parking within 10 feet of a crosswalk, which will increase from $10 to $50. The ordinance will also create fines for several violations that previously had no listed penalty, including a $100 fine for parking at a boat ramp without a trailer, and $25 to $50 fines for resident permit parking violations.
Only five existing fines remain unchanged: $20 for expired meters, $50 for heavy truck parking, $50 for snow removal bans, $200 for handicap parking and $50 for expired inspection stickers.
The goal of the new fine structure is to encourage compliance with parking regulations that are designed to promote safety, rather than issue more citations, according to Holly Huntoon, the New Bedford Police Department’s public information officer.
The Police Department developed the proposal after comparing New Bedford’s parking fines with those in similar Massachusetts municipalities, where penalties were generally higher, Huntoon said.
At the meeting, Sgt. Brian Crosby said complaints from residents also helped drive the proposal, specifically citing East Rodney French Boulevard, near Cisco Brewers.
“That one area has generated so many complaints to City Hall,” Crosby said. “At least now we can get a handle on that.”
Cisco Brewers manager Joe Sullivan does not expect the changes to have much impact on the business because of its off-street parking.
“I don’t think it really affects us that much … we have our own three large parking lots, one on either side of us, and we have an auxiliary lot about 20, 25 yards away from us for any additional parking when we do large events,” Sullivan said. “We have pretty much a lot of off street parking for our guests.”
Devin Byrnes, owner of Destination Soups in downtown New Bedford, said some businesses may feel the effects differently.
“We have a loading zone here, and sometimes people park there just to run in and grab their food,” said Devin Byrnes, owner of Destination Soups in downtown New Bedford. “If people get whacked with a higher ticket, they might not want to come back as soon.”
Todd Foy, owner of Record High in downtown New Bedford, said, “I’m glad that they left the parking meters unchanged, because that’s obviously the lifeblood around here.”
The increases are based on the severity of each violation, with higher fines reserved for those that pose greater safety concerns or create recurring issues, according to Crosby.
“We tried to be balanced in our increase without pushing everything to $50,” Crosby said. City ordinance caps most parking fines at $50, with exceptions for parking at a boat ramp without a trailer and for handicap parking violations, which carry higher penalties under state and federal law, according to the City Traffic Commission.
The Police Department will implement a two-week grace period for drivers after the updated fines take effect, in which officers will issue warning notices instead of citations, according to Huntoon. She did not provide a date for when the updated fines will take effect.
“New ticket books are being printed, and then there will be a public notice,” Huntoon said.
Aida Delano is a summer intern with the New Bedford Light, as part of the South Coast Internship designed for local students. Email Aida at adelano@newbedfordlight.org
