Debate: Parking Fines

Is it fair to issue parking fines to people who park their car longer than the allocated time?

Background and Context of Debate:

Should parking cops give fines to people who park their car longer than the sign indicates? These fines having been annoying people for years.

Should officers be more lenient when issuing parking fines?

Yes

• It is just revenue raising. The council doesn't care about how long you park for, especially if you just park for a few minutes too long, they just want to make money (revenue) from you. This is not fair because they are just profiting from your accidental "illegal" parking.

No

• There is no rational place where a boundary could be set. As there is no rational place where the level of leniency could be set, you might as well stick with the current limits.

• People are aware of the laws. If someone breaks the law, they deserve to get punished, even if it is just a small violation. Parking somewhere for too long is breaking the law so it is appropriate to charge a small fine because the person is aware of the law and they have broken it. This still applies id they only parked for a few minutes too long.

Are parking fines fair?

Yes

• People are aware of the laws. If someone breaks the law, they deserve to get punished. Parking somewhere for too long is breaking the law so it is appropriate to charge a small fine because the person is aware of the law and they have broken it.

No

• It is just revenue raising. The council doesn't care about how long you park for, they just want to make money (revenue) from you. This is not fair because they are just profiting from your accidental "illegal" parking.

Should people have to pay to park their car?

Yes

• Charging for car parking may help the environment. By charging for car parking people may be more likely to walk instead of drive. This will help the envioronment by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
• People have the right to make money. Organizations should be able to charge if they have put a lot of effort into building a car park.
• It often costs a lot of money to build a car park. Because it costs a lot to build a car park, the company who built it needs the money back and a little bit of profit. A small fee will provide money to the company who built the carpark and help them get back the money they spent building it. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just profiting from their business. If they didn't, what would be the point? None.

No

• Everyone needs to put their car somewhere, why make them pay? The council should not profit from people parking their cars. This is unfair. It is an inevitable thing that people need to put their car somewhere will they shop or go to work, and they don't want people profiting from it.
• People have already payed for parking through road takes. People have already payed once through their taxes, so it is not fair to force them to pay again.

Do local governments put too much pressure on officers to issue parking tickets?

Yes

• Councils are revenue driven so they pressure officers to hand out many tickets - "...In my many discussions with them, I have come to understand that Council Parking Attendants are caught in a sandwich between, on the one hand, revenue-driven pressure from the Council to issue tickets and, on the other hand, angry members of the public who believe parking enforcement should be fair and carried out in accordance with common sense. Many Parking Attendants I have spoken to actually agree wholeheartedly with the latter point of view but feel that they are powerless to do anything about it." - Dr William J. Knottenbelt Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London - [1]

No

References:

• Who is Overzealous - noparkingtickets.co.uk

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