Parking Fines Are About To Go Up In Boston

BOSTON, MA — That bright orange, sweat-inducing parking ticket that you see on your windshield around Boston every once in a while is about to get a bit more expensive if the Walsh administration has its way, by as much as $50.

The mayor announced a plan - that still has to pass the city council - to increase parking fines as a way to discourage congestion (think double parking), catch up with other cities, and use that money to focus on making the city more friendly to bikers, walkers and bus riders by designating bus lanes and get protected bike paths, and set up areas for ride-hailing services around the city.

All of this is part of a transportation strategy that will be included in Mayor Marty Walsh’s budget request for the next fiscal year.

"As the funding that the City provides to the State for public transit continues to increase, Boston must utilize its limited revenue streams to support its own new projects and plans," said Walsh's office in a release Tuesday.

And that's where the increased fines in parking tickets come in; The Walsh administration described them as a "strategic set of increases to its current parking fine structure, designed to reduce congestion and emissions, increase cleanliness, and improve the parking experience."

Walsh's administration choose 11 of the most commonly complained about violations from double parking to expired meters and adjusted the ticket fines for them and also discourage folks from doing it again.

If passed, a ticket for double parking downtown would increase from $45 to $75. Forget to move your car on street cleaning day? The $40 ticket would go up to $90. Parking in a resident-only spot without a sticker would go from $40 to $60, from $40. And overstaying a meter would no longer be a mere $25. You're looking at a $40 fine.

City Councilor Michelle Wu said in the press release she was for the changes.

"The increased funding and staff capacity will support implementation of key improvements within city control -- protected bike lanes, better bus transit, walkable streets, new traffic signal technology and safer intersections. Not only does everyone benefit when we make transportation safer, more affordable and more reliable; the continued growth of our city and the economic mobility of our residents depend on it," she said.

Boston Transportation Department Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca was behind the proposed project as well.

"Travel modes are changing and it is critical that we employ innovations in technology and transportation to ensure that the City of Boston may accommodate current and future demand for people choosing a variety of travel modes," she said. "These investments champion Go Boston 2030 and Vision Zero, and give BTD the support needed to meet the City's transportation challenges."

The City's FY19 budget will be formally released on April 11, and the mayor encouraged folks to visit budget.boston.gov to find out more information about what's going on in their community.

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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch