Grand Rapids' parking ticket hot spots

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A parking ticket can ruin your day, but just everyone has gotten one at some point.

In 2012, Grand Rapids Parking Services dished out 45,000 tickets to drivers parked by an expired meter. On average, enforcers handed down 150 tickets a day.

"I'll get a ticket when I come out and sometimes I'm gone like seconds," said UPS driver Maureen Doyle. She said she has been ticketed three times in one day while delivering packages.  

Driver Barbara Wilson agreed parking enforcement is frustrating.  

"I would describe it as militant. They are here all the time," said Wilson.

And one angry driver contacted Target 8 via ReportIt, writing, "Parking services in Grand Rapids has gone overboard."

But Parking Services Director Pam Ritsema said the parking tickets aren't simply a way for the City to make money off of people. Ritsema explained parking enforcement is necessary to ensure everyone gets a parking space.  

"Parking meters get added on streets to control parking," said Ritsema. "We try to be very fair and we try to have enforcement at a level that encourages people to pay but that is not so punitive as to prevent them from coming downtown."

Target 8 dug into the numbers, getting a breakdown of all 2,400 meters in the city: Where they are, how much each one gets ticketed and when the citations are issued.

The most ticketed meter is on Ottawa Avenue NW between Louis and Fulton streets. Four hundred fifty-seven tickets were issued at meter No. 1473 in 2012.

It's by The BOB, right outside Elliott's convenience store, where owner Bill Bennett calls it a double-edged sword. Customers who come in to buy a lottery ticket aren't happy when they walk away with a $20 parking ticket.  

But Bennett said without the meters, downtown workers would be parked on the street all day, leaving no spots for customers.

"It goes both ways. I've got to have parking for people out front," said Bennett.

Another hot spot is Monroe Center, where just three meters in a one block stretch raked in a collective 897 tickets last year. They're right outside XO Asian Cuisine, where owner Osmand Chan and his delivery drivers are among those who have been ticketed.

"They (the drivers) got two tickets yesterday. And they got to pay $40, I think," said Chan.

The most-ticketed day of the week in 2012 was Friday. The least ticketed day was Saturday. The most-ticketed month was December, when more than 5,000 tickets were written.  

The day enforcers were most busy was New Year's Eve, when they wrote up 372 tickets. So the hottest ticketing time was right as the year came to an end.

Target 8 asked Ritsema if enforcers rush out to put out as many tickets as possible because there is a quota. She said no.  

"I think when it happens to you, that's what you think: Somebody's picking on me. But we really don't know who you are, and when they get to the meter, if it says expired, we don't know if it was expired 30 seconds ago or three hours," said Ritsema.

Ritsema encourages drivers to take advantage of free parking downtown: Monroe Center Ramp offers one hour of free parking to visitors entering prior to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

She also encourages drivers to take advantage of Parkmobile, which allows drivers to pay the meter via smartphones.

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