Urban Growth, Congestion and Your Commercial Car
Across the country, cities are dealing more with the challenging aspects of urban growth. While each city has its own unique challenges, their traffic problems are more or less the same. That is, growing populations and a booming economy has increased congestion in cities and subsequently, put more cars on the road. It doesn’t stop here, as in many downtowns and central business districts, construction chokes off streets. Moreover, while a great asset for city residents, the increase in bus and bike lanes further reduce space for cars. As New York continues to grow into a bigger and bigger city, the amount of congestion seems to grow exponentially in lockstep. While the city looks for solutions to this issue, residents are fighting to cope. Particularly, local businesses that use a commercial car to do their work have increasingly dealt with the effects of congestion.
With the lack of parking spots available especially during business hours, many drivers often end up having to park in spots where the risk of getting a parking ticket is pretty high. Although the city, thankfully has a program that helps businesses deal with all the parking tickets they get while making deliveries and service calls, things are going to get a little bit more difficult for businesses in this program. Take a look at the information below about the changes to the NYC Fleet Program, it may help your business cut operating costs, increase efficiency and most importantly, help your business’s bottom line.
The City’s Reduced Commercial Parking Ticket Program
In its first major overhaul since the programs’ introduction 15 years ago, the city’s Department of Finance plans to raise the parking ticket fines that businesses in the NYC Fleet Program pay on their commercial car. But what are the programs affected exactly? We will cover a bit here but definitely head over to our article on the city’s commercial ticket reduction programs.
Originally introduced in 2003, the city set up two programs to address the NYC business community’s concerns and complaints about their parking ticket issues. The programs offered by The Department of Finance are the Stipulated Fine Program and the Commercial Abatement Program. Both programs lower the cost of parking ticket fines for a variety of violations. The goal of these programs is to support local business and help ease the parking ticket squeeze they face. The programs seek to reduce the city’s costs of holding parking ticket hearings as well as save repeat offenders the time and cost of fighting tickets.
Program Benefits
These programs support local businesses that use a commercial car exclusively for the delivery of goods or services. These businesses often receive parking tickets for infractions such as double parking and blocking an intersection while doing business. These pr helps businesses not only manage their parking tickets through an online portal but potentially reduce the amount they have to pay for parking tickets.
One program, the stipulated fine program, is set up for companies that spend a shorter time at the curb. So this program is great for companies that make deliveries. The other, the commercial abatement program targets companies that need more time at the curb. This is great for companies that make pickups or service calls.
The program provides business owners with a weekly listing of new tickets issued to any of the company’s registered vehicles via an online platform. Companies that enroll in the program have a period of 60 days to resolve a ticket. They must either pay the parking ticket at a base fine or obtain a hearing without incurring penalties. The city calculates program fees based on the likelihood of a company successfully challenging a particular ticket in court.
What Are The Changes To The Ticket Reduction Programs
New York City will change the reduced fines levied on parking tickets given to about 2,600 commercial car operators. These companies range in size, from FedEX to Verizon to your local handyman. Officials estimate that with the new fee structure, the city will raise ticket revenues by $17 million. That is a 3.2% increase on top of the $525 million the city expects to get in this financial year.
While the Department of Finance has yet to reveal all of the proposed changes to the 99 parking violations, they have released some details about the coming changes. Nevertheless, the city announced some of the changes the department thinks will come to the program. For example, a $115 ticket for obstructing an intersection, will be charged at the full rate. The program currently reduces the ticket by up to $15. In another example, a $65 ticket for violating street cleaning parking rules in Manhattan will cost $25. Currently, the program reduces this fine to $0. Lastly, a company that would previously have avoided a $115 penalty for double parking outside Midtown will pay $60.
How To Apply To These Programs?
To join the program, business workers must complete and submit the Stipulated Fine Program application and enrollment agreement. The Department of Finance will determine which of the programs your business is eligible for and automatically enroll. Every business that enrolls in either program will also automatically be enrolled in the NYC Fleet Program and receive a reduced fine schedule.