SOARING FINES TO DRIVE US INSANE
By David Seifman, New York Post
September 24, 2002
It's a good time for motorists to stock up on antacids because - starting next Tuesday - fines for the most serious parking infractions are soaring from $55 to $105.
"It's going to be like a heart attack for most people," warned Glen Bolofsky of parkingticket.com, a Web site that counsels motorists for a fee.
There's been little publicity about the new fines, first proposed by Mayor Bloomberg in February to raise $62 million for the cash-starved city.
The state gave the go-ahead in July, but the city had to hold public hearings before it could start collecting next month.
"Hopefully, this will be an incentive not to park in front of a hydrant, a bus stop, a ‘No Standing' or ‘No Parking' zone," said Sam Miller, a spokesman for the Finance Department, which oversees the Parking Violations Bureau.
He pointed out that most of the fines haven't changed since 1975.
In all, fines for 32 offenses are going up.
Bolofsky said the $105 fine would be the highest in the nation for routine offenses.
