Just because the meter's broken doesn't mean you can't get ticketed
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Inoperable parking meters in downtown Phoenix may have you wondering whether you're allowed to park by them. The answer is: Park with caution.
State of play: A battery problem is affecting some parking meters downtown and the city is working to fix it, per Street Transportation Department spokesperson John Trierweiler.
- We've observed whole blocks of non-functioning meters in recent weeks, leaving drivers with no way to pay in some areas.
Yes, but: That hasn't dissuaded people from parking at the broken meters, so we reached out to Phoenix Police to find out what the rules are.
Zoom in: The city warns "that parking at an inoperable meter may result in a ticket" and advises people to move their cars to avoid citations.
- Officers have discretion in whether to issue citations in most cases, Phoenix Police spokesperson Robert Scherer told Axios.
- You can be cited for parking at a broken meter, he said, but "an officer would have to establish that a driver did not pay the correct amount."
- "The primary focus of any parking citation is to improve compliance. If an officer uses discretion … then one will not be issued," Scherer said
My thought bubble: During several recent trips downtown, the meter was broken where I wanted to park.
- The first time, I got paranoid and moved my car to a garage.
- But I decided to risk it at the meter several other times after noticing all the other cars parked at inoperable meters with no tickets on their windows. I wasn't cited, either.
The bottom line: Park at your own risk.