If you live in an American city, chances are good that you’ve experienced the ruthlessness of parking enforcement. Didn’t see the sign? That’s $50. Parked in the fire lane to make “just a quick stop?” $75 for obstructing public safety.
Officials say that “parking is a valuable resource that needs to be regulated for efficient traffic flow and turnover in commercial districts.” That may be true, but cities increasingly use fines and fees to fund operations. In Seattle, parking tickets generate more than $20 million per year—a substantial contribution to the city's revenue. Council members resisted implementing a mobile parking app because the service “would make it easier for people to avoid parking tickets.”
But for tickets to be a source of revenue, citizens have to cooperate. To compel payment from those who would prefer to ignore citations, cities partner with private companies that directly profit from adding fines, fees, and interest on ticket debt.
Written and designed by Karen Cheng, Lindsay Franznick, Jackson Jiang,
Wyatt Olson, Raziah Ahmed, Ian Yu, Eli Kahn, and Maya Flood
Project advised by Dr. Graham Pruss, Bill Kirlin-Hackett, and Jean Darsie.