City officials are taking what appears to be the first step toward finding a permanent solution for ongoing complaints about errors, miscues and in some cases fraud involving the issuing of city parking tickets.
Taking a cue from nearby Philadelphia, City Councilman James Kraft will introduce legislation at the next City Council meeting seeking to create a parking ombudsman, who would arbitrate disputes between parking authorities and motorists, Kraft said Tuesday.
“The last stat I saw, we?re 20,000 parking spaces short in the neighborhoods I represent, including Canton and Fells point,” said Kraft.
“I?m in favor of anything that productively addresses parking problems for residents.”
Kraft said the legislation was prompted by complaints from constituents, many of whom struggle to find scarce parking spaces near their homes.
Officials at the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the agency that oversees parking enforcement in Philadelphia, said the role of the ombudsman, known as a “public advocate,” is to resolve disputed tickets for motorists in a fair and timely manner.
The proposal comes as the investigation by Inspector General Hilton Green of a rash of bogus tickets written by one or more city parking agents enters its fifth month. At least one agent has been suspended without pay for issuing fake tickets, but investigators said last week the probe is still ongoing with no end in sight due to continued filing of complaints of unwarranted tickets by angry motorists.
Beth Bucker, one of Kraft?s constituents, said overly aggressive ticketing in her Upper Fells Point neighborhood has pushed many of her neighbors to the brink of leaving. Bucker said she was frustrated when she was ticketed while trying to unload groceries.
“A couple weeks ago, I came home late and wanted to bring my bags into my house because I have to park far away to get a space,” said Bucker, who commutes to Silver Spring.
“Literally from the time it took me to park my car and take my bags inside the door, I had an officer writing me a ticket.”
Eric Kaidanow, a city resident who proposed the idea for an ombudsman to Kraft in an e-mail, said his pleasant experience after getting an unwarranted ticket in Philadelphia made him think the concept would work in Baltimore, too.
“They were so responsive; their customer service department was fighting over who was going to abate my ticket,” Kaidanow said.
“I realized living in the city and dealing with tickets … citizens deserve some sort of middle adjudication, someone who can take a second look before they have to go to court.”
