Revisiting Logan’s asinine winter parking policy
Bridge over at See Hear Speak No Evil has a story about the choice you have to make in Logan: DUI or parking ticket.
If you’ve been living under a rock, or if you’re one of our friends along the Wasatch Front, you need to know that Logan prohibits parking on all city streets from November 15 until March 1. You can’t do it in the early morning hours because of snow removal.
That’s fine. I think we all understand that the plows need to be able to do their job and need to do it efficiently.
However, Logan enforces this law regardless of the weather. There’s no snow in the forecast for at least a week, and even then it isn’t slated to amount to anything. We haven’t needed the plows on the road this season so far…so why give tickets out?
It’s a great question that Logan won’t answer, but the long and short of it is that the city has absolutely no respect for its residents. Let’s be honest here. This is the ultimate slap in the face, “screw you” from city government, in that they don’t trust their residents enough to know when to park on the road and when not to.
Here’s a novel idea: If it’s going to snow, and plows are going to be impeded, then ticket away! I know enough that if snow is in the forecast, I should stay off the street or else I’ll get a ticket. Ticketing everyone in town when there is 0% chance of snowfall is just a jerk move by the city.
Especially in the case that Bridge refers to on her blog. She was at the bar and had been drinking and got a ride home from a friend, leaving her vehicle outside the bar. Choosing not to drink and drive and perhaps saving lives in the process, she gets rewarded by Logan with the big “screw you.”
Logan has had discussions about changing the way it enforces its winter parking ordinance, but it seriously needs to expedite its changes, and needs to put a little more faith in its residences. This is something that just absolutely makes my blood boil, as it’s a clear demonstration of the city government being far, far more powerful than they need to be.
-Tyler
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Nov 22nd 2008 • 11:11
by Tom Grover
Well said, Tyler
This policy isn’t really about snow removal. Snow removal is the pretense. It is about the City’s War on Rentals and the effort to drive renters out of inner-Logan by eliminating all of their parking.
And yes, they are creating perverse and dangerous incentives to those that visit bars. I hope Bridge sends a letter to the paper and emails the Council.
Nov 22nd 2008 • 15:11
by Dave
amen. tyler, take me to the river.
Nov 22nd 2008 • 16:11
by Craig
Well, maybe Bridge shouldn’t drink.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 07:11
by Richard Okelberry
I think we are forgetting that the city would like to do everything it can to limit the amount of alcohol consumed in its boundaries. When I tended bar at the Owl, I regularly would hear stories from patrons about how they got pulled over and ticked for public intoxication while walking home. Here were individuals that also decided not to drink and drive being punished for their responsible actions. It was well known that the police would stake out in front of the bar, wait for people to come out, get in their cars then pull them over. Apparently on slow nights they were stopping even individuals that weren’t diving.
I imagine the argument from the city would be that you just shouldn’t drink.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 11:11
by jess
the whole “don’t drink” argument is ridiculous. this really has nothing to do with drinking and more to do with making money off of parking tickets on a stupid ordinance. i’m wary of linking the two together…but i can see where that conclusion is being drawn.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 14:11
by Invader Trent
I may be mistaken but i believe that the parking enforcement for the city is contracted out. This to me is a huge mistake. Putting a private company in charge of enforcing the law for a couple reasons. They are just in to make money, meaning they will take whatever chance they get to run roughshod over residents.
What comes next? Does the city decide to privatize speeding enforcement? Would these jackboots start giving out tickets for 1 mph over the limit?
This whole thing is just a way for the city to make money while turning a blind eye to it’s citizens being exploited.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 14:11
by Matt
Unless I’m mistaken, the parking ticketing in the city is handled by an independently contracted company (Logan Parking Authority).
Now, I should be clear that my comment is pure speculation and personal feeling on the matter.
Last year the parking law was changed to where cars would only be ticketed during, or within 48 hours of, a snowstorm. This made sense. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was a tremendous upgrade over the previous law.
Two weeks later, the law was not only reverted to the previous regulations, but it was tightened so that the time where you weren’t allowed to park on the street was given an extra half hour for LPA to issue tickets.
The reasoning given was that the 48-hour period after a snowstorm was too confusing for residents.
I find it difficult to believe that in just two weeks of the changed law that there was a mountain of complaints from people that were no-longer being ticketed for parking outside when there wasn’t any snow. If I remember right there was only one snowstorm during this two weeks.
I have little doubt that LPA saw that they would be issuing far less tickets with the new law and took a nice little incentive to some Logan City Council members to have the law reverted.
It seems like that is just politics at its best right there. Whether or not this is the truth on the matter, this is a very frustrating and very unnecessary law that makes Logan a less desirable place to live than it should be.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 15:11
by Tom Grover
Trent,
The City contracts out parking enforcement but does not make money from the arrangement, although the Parking Authority (private contractor) does. Nonetheless, your observation about the perverse incentive is spot on.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 16:11
by Tyler Riggs
The city contracting out for winter parking enforcement has much the same effect that contracting out for booting does: It incentivizes a private company to do as much enforcement as possible at the cost of the citizenry.
With a private company running the ship, they are in it for profit. In many areas of our society, we encourage and appreciate this: It provides the most effective services at the lowest cost. With parking enforcement, however, there is a great cost to the people of the community, and all the benefits are reaped by a private company. In this case, I would almost prefer that the city handle enforcement, because even if they enforced the parking ordinances as vigorously as the private company, at least the income from parking tickets could be used to offset taxpayer burden in some areas or to offer enhanced services.
But because the city would be accountable for the costs and has limited resources, you’d likely not see a parking enforcement officer out ticketing cars on a dry November eve when the temperature is 35 degrees and there’s zero chance of snow. It’s not worth their time and the goal of the ordinance (unimpeded access for snow plows) is irrelevant.
Instead, you get a private company who will go out every night, even if it’s 50 degrees and absolutely no chance of snow, and ticket every car, at a great profit for them. The money goes into the pockets of a businessman, and the community sees a negative net benefit.
Its the same thing we see in booting cars in parking lots. The company will boot anyone, regardless of whether the illegally parked car is having a negative impact on the lot. I believe that cars should only be booted when there is a complaint made by a tenant or a property owner.
Alas, Logan Parking Authority is now a pseudo-governmental authority with far more power than a regular Joe and none of the accountability. What a disaster.
Nov 23rd 2008 • 16:11
by Tom Grover
Let me also add that the Logan Parking Authority drives business from Downtown Logan. As much as everyone seems to be concerned about saving Downtown, it is rarely discussed how the Parking Authority will often issue tickets behind the Coppermill with the lot is 75% empty, much like giving tickets on a snowless night. If you are concerned about Downtown, you should be concerned about the Parking Authority.
Nov 24th 2008 • 07:11
by ionicdesign
Yes indeed I thought it was wonderful when the council, albeit for only a matter of days, changed the policy last year, only to change it right back to the old style of mindless ticketing. I had supposed that money was at issue, but that the money was going to the city coffers. If this is outsourced, all the more reason to change the law straightaway, it is absurd, pointless, and needlessly vindictive.