Parking fines double in Boulder starting Jan. 16
It’s no secret that finding parking in Boulder can be close to impossible, but with the new fine increase, students and Boulder residents can no longer afford the risk of parking illegally.
As of Jan. 16, parking safety fines have increased and in some cases even doubled. According to a press release from the city of Boulder, fine increases for parking in a fire lane and parking within five feet of a fire hydrant has increased from $15 to $50.
George Forth, the parking management supervisor of Boulder said the fine change wasn’t made because of an increase in parking citations, but rather because of inconsistencies in parking fines. Prior to Tuesday safety violations, like blocking a fire hydrant and parking in a fire lane, were that same fine as parking overtime at meters, just $15.
Violating such parking laws may seem harmless at the time, but Forth said there is more harm than many may think and running the risk just isn’t worth it.
“These violations -blocking a fire hydrant and parking in a fire lane- could cause harm and even death to residents,” Forth said.
Molly Winter, director of the Downtown University Hill Management and Parking Services expressed George Forth’s same concern in a press release.
“Parking violations that could potentially endanger the safety and well-being of our community should incur a greater fine than simply being parked overtime at a meter. They are more serious violations,” Winter said.
Residential streets still have a lot of snow build up from the 2006 Blizzards, which may affect parking circumstances on the Hill and around Boulder. However, the parking management isn’t using drivers’ disadvantages to their advantage.
Forth said parking officials are using digression when writing tickets.
“Instead of citing every violation, we are trying to aid parkers and get all the streets cleaned up,” Forth said.
The lingering problem is that students have a hard time finding parking on campus. Parking at meters daily gets expensive fast, so students will take the risk of parking illegally or overtime on the Hill.
Vikki Young, a sophomore international affairs major and Hill resident has her own solution to the problem.
“If they are going to increase fines for parking unsafely they should decrease the fines for parking over time at meters,” Young said.
Forth advises students to pay close attention to marked areas while parking and to plan ahead. This will help avoid a fine, or even worse, the harm of a resident.
