Keep a closer watch on that parking meter. Grow even more obsessive about watching the clock when you're parked in a two-hour limit spot. And never, for any reason, neglect to pay for a motorcycle parking permit.
Forgetfulness is now even more expensive.
Athens City Council, with the exception of Bojinka Bishop, D-2nd Ward, voted last week to increase parking fines, bumping them up either $5 or $10, depending on the violation. It will be the first fine increase in about 10 years.
This would not be such a huge problem if the city were not manic about making money this way. Between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2006, Athens made $463,430 in parking fines and late payment penalties ' a lot of money for a small town. Now, with a fine hike, the city has even more reason to encourage its parking minions to swoop in on meters the second they run out of time.
Council says the money will pay for two more police officers. That's great. At the very least, it should end the whining about being understaffed. But council should have tried to find another way to pay for police. This was not a choice between raising money or accommodating drivers, as one councilwoman has said in the past ' this is exploiting drivers in a city that lacks adequate parking for its residents.
Bear in mind, too, that council members get free parking at the city parking garage. The parking fees won't affect them. They don't have to face the annoyance of being five minutes too late to avoid a ticket or the frustration of forking over grocery money to pay fines.
Council members should not be able to get away with this kind of hypocritical behavior. Perhaps this might finally be incentive for more students to switch their voting registration to Athens and send their local representatives a message.
At the very least, it should motivate residents to band together and slip quarters into parking meters about to expire, in a collective effort to thwart a council gone amok.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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Fine increase shows exploitation of drivers; residents should voice disapproval of decision
