News Coverage Spurs Surge In Disabled Parking Enforcement
That bright light of media coverage always does the trick.
The Chicago Sun-Times began investigating the rampant abuse of disabled parking placards and handicap license plates to park for free at metered parking spots in September.
After the paper began asking the city questions about the subject, for some reason, (coincidence we’re sure), the number of tickets for using a stolen, fraudulent or improperly used disabled parking placard or disability plates went through the roof according to reports obtained by the newspaper.
The city wrote 3,248 tickets for this offense just in September, October and November–a number 15 times more tickets than what was written in the close to six previous years!
Beyond increased enforcement, motorists who try to game the system and try to illegally use a disabled parking placard will risk facing even higher fines in 2012 when tickets will rise from the current $200 to $1500 to $3000. In addition, scofflaws will see their vehicles towed and impounded–another $160 or more in costs.
Read about this stunning enforcement coincidence in the Sun-Times, “City cracks down on disability-parking scofflaws.”
