D.C. is expanding parking ticket enforcement. One lawmaker is fighting back
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There's a new debate about the cost of D.C. traffic tickets.
Why it matters: D.C. is expanding parking and traffic enforcement as lawmakers wrestle with the cost of fines at a time when everyday expenses are going up.
The big picture: It's putting City Hall in a bind.
- On the one hand: With D.C.'s tax revenues declining, lawmakers are reluctant to give up tens of millions of dollars collected from speed cameras, parking tickets and other enforcement — money they say is needed to fund priorities like food assistance programs.
- On the other hand: Elected officials risk inviting the wrath of citizens who feel they're getting nickel-and-dimed.
Driving the news: On Tuesday, Council member Robert White sprang a new affordability measure: Cut all parking ticket fines by half.
- "We cannot balance the District's budget based on parking tickets," White said during a council meeting, adding that they brought in $59.5 million last year.
- The idea was defeated — for now. Critics opposed legislating parking ticket policy on the fly. And several lawmakers winced at the potential cost during an economic squeeze.
- "I think it's important to just be realistic," said Council member Zachary Parker. "I don't see how we can afford this while we're cratering in our budget."
Instead, council members narrowly approved expanding parking enforcement to college campuses and business districts.
- Campus police will be empowered to issue D.C. parking tickets in the schools' perimeters and some adjacent areas.
- Business Improvement Districts like DowntownDC or Golden Triangle — private nonprofits repping their neighborhoods, with 13 in total — are now allowed to hire off-duty traffic enforcement officers.
- So, the Navy Yard BID could decide it wants more parking turnover, especially during ballgames or other events, and bring in more ticket writers. The fines go to the District, but the bill allows revenue sharing with the organizations.
Friction point: The enforcement expansion is raising concerns about the fairness of traffic fines, which can be more painful for working-class Washingtonians and "disproportionately impact Black District residents," according to the D.C. Council's Office of Racial Equity.
- The office of Council member Brianne Nadeau, who wrote the bill, said that "permanent legislation may be warranted" to address the fairness question.
- Last year, council members approved an amnesty program allowing $500 in fines to be expunged if the driver attends a safety course — but the DMV hasn't implemented it.
What's ahead: The council is likely to revisit the issue. Chairman Phil Mendelson says he'd rather support halving fines from automated traffic cameras, which start at $100 and double within 30 days.
- But, as "horrible as some people feel these fines are, is this really where our priority is?" Mendelson added. "Or is it with affordable housing? … Or the people being knocked off of Medicaid?"