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Report: DPT issuing fewer citations
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Plagued by staffing shortages, the Department of Parking and Traffic is issuing fewer parking tickets than in previous years, a deficiency that has come under criticism as The City’s transportation agency once again considers a slew of parking citation and meter increases to close a projected budget shortfall.
Parking fines were hiked two years ago, with increases ranging from $15 for some violations and as much as $65 for others. However, parking fines are expected to drop by $4 million as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni and oversees the Department of Parking and Traffic, faces a $15.1 million shortfall.
About $84 million in revenue from citations is projected to come in this year, whereas last fiscal year citations brought in $88.2 million, according to the Board of Supervisors legislative analyst report.
The report further stated that only 22.3 percent of the maximum potential revenue is being collected from The City’s parking meters.
Staffing shortages and the possibility that the recently hiked fines are working as a deterrent are reasons for the decline, according to the report. “The increased fine rates might have had a larger deterrent effect than anticipated, leading to significantly fewer violations,” according to the report.
The number of citations issued has decreased steadily since 2000 according to MTA statistics. Projections show DPT will have issued the fewest number of citations this fiscal year than any other year during the last decade.
In fiscal year 2004-05, 2.2 million citations were issued, but that number dropped off to 1.9 million in fiscal year 2005-06, and is projected to decrease to 1.8 million citations issued by the end of the current fiscal year, according to the memo.
The issuance of citations may have also gone down because parking control officers are being more often called on to perform traffic control duties, such as at protests, parades and when traffic signals go out, according to MTA spokeswoman Maggie Lynch.
Supervisor Jake McGoldrick said it does not make sense to raise meter rates or citations when better enforcement could generate more money. McGoldrick said the DPT “needs to beef up enforcement to make sure people deposit money in the meters.”
McGoldrick, who requested a hearing on Wednesday on parking meter revenue collection, said doubling potential revenue being collected from parking meters would generate $10 million.
The raising of rates was also met with resistance from one MTA Board Director Wil Din, who suggested during Tuesday’s preliminary budget hearing, that improved enforcement, not rate increases, was the solution to the agency’s revenue shortage.
MTA Executive Director Nathaniel Ford said during the hearing that the DPT is operating with a shortage of 93 parking control officers. As part of next year’s budget, MTA is hoping to bring on board 50 new officers.
“They definitely need more people. There’s overtime every week. If no one is there to write that ticket they won’t get written,” said Lawanna Preston, staff director for Service Employee International Union Local 790, which represents the 350 parking control officers in The City. Preston said hiring 93 officers would put the DPT at an optimal level for enforcement.
Budget woes and hiring freezes in previous years led to the shortage of parking control officers, Lynch said.
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Examiner Reader said:
I am a Disability Advocate and a member of Taxi Access and I agree with you. Was a very good article. Camilo Quintero
0 agree | 1 disagree
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richard f said:
I have friends who use their bus for wheel chairs and the are very unrealiable.Most of the time they are late picking them up.They should NOT have to put up with this.Please look into this as well.
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Owemalley must be in with the owner of the company!! How much graft did he make today.
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Examiner Reader said:
Forget the buses and get 500 new police offercers.O-molley is goofy!
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Examiner Reader said:
keep the old buses. replace yo'malley and his flunky anthony brown.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow! Free rides on the MTA! That's like winning an all expense paid vacation to the landfill!
77 agree | 93 disagree
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#3 Sheppard Pratt Rider said:
It is a known fact that the farebox is usually broken. The farebox won't accept wrinkle or worn dollar bills. And, the bus is late or don't show up.
83 agree | 78 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Interesting. Years ago as a contractor I managed the Farebox Repairs as a rep of the company that sold the system to MTA. They decided they didn't need that representation and got rid of our contract. Good to see how well they have been doing.
84 agree | 82 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
What do you expect? "Youths" can't be prosecuted for criminal acts in Maryland. You fools voted for the Liberals who protect the children criminals. Stop whinning.
85 agree | 76 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
A typical government monopoly acting like a typical government monopoly. No rush to correct problems. It's a jobs program. In the end the taxpayers will cover the losses. Are the cameras working yet? When will the taxpayers finally revolt?
89 agree | 97 disagree
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avid reader said:
That's OK, because O"malley will just raise our taxes again to cover this cost. Fix the DAMN BUSES you idiots!!!
93 agree | 101 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
MTA is in disrepair from top to bottom.
87 agree | 78 disagree
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Mr. Mirth Alert said:
Ha ha: part 1 crimes. These guys sure do know the metaphors, don't they. Yeah, boy, papa, treat reality with metaphors, like "have a sit-down," & see how quickly all problems disappear, usually under a mound of paperwork. Oh, & meanwhile, the drivers will be filing stress claims for having lived thru the exp. & After the city & state go broke paying everybody off, then we can rattle thru the tax increase debate again.
79 agree | 82 disagree
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Mr. Mirth Alert said:
When I rode WMATA buses in D.C., many thousands of years ago, the old-fashioned fare boxes often failed to work. Are mfrs. in any way responsible for the poor quality of their product, or does MTA immediately absolve them of any responsibility, like in the same way we absolve everyone in any position of authority of responsibility after they've made mincemeat of things like state budget, war on terror, etc.
86 agree | 79 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
idiot
80 agree | 77 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
is there an update on this article, was the other youth apprehended and if so what is the charge?
96 agree | 100 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Boy did you hit the nail on the head and are so right.
90 agree | 76 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The problem is not law enforcement. It is the lack of parents teaching the right thing being repsponsible and it is not the teachers, preachers or cops. Get a life and put the blame where it belongs on the youth and parents. The breakdown of family and lack of respect from people to others. Lets get real about this. Lack of education which is also a childs responsibility to learn and for the parent to be there and enforce it all. Stop blaming everyone else.!!!!!!!!
91 agree | 97 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
County buses have problem also. People go get a job and stop complaining about others readers.
104 agree | 98 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Have another donut, Chief.
95 agree | 96 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This confirms how high ranking officials are turning a blind eye to those most in need of justice. Baltimore is encased in a icy grip of oppression towards those most in need of justice. How else do you explain the continual, outrageous stomping of someone who nearly died at the hands of bullies, targeted and sought out with threats from a co-hort of one of the bullies, then placed in the witness protection program, and then continually attacked, even as she's in hiding to prevent further violence against her?
88 agree | 86 disagree
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The Undertaker said:
I bet this guy doesn't ride the bus or if he does he does so with his gun. Mere citizens like myself are not allowed to be armed. The Lords in the police departments are the only ones allowed to defend themselves.
103 agree | 70 disagree
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Marlowe said: said:
Bus Rider, what planet are you from? Photo-shopped in? what are you a X-files fan? Conspiracy theory idiot.
80 agree | 94 disagree
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Bus Rider said:
I agree completely with the Chief. The system is very safe. I also believe the bruises on Sarah Kreagers face were Photo-Shopped in. Additionally, I beleive that the two gentlemen who claimed they were attacked and subjected to racial slurs are making thw whole thing up. I beleive the kids from Poole middle school are fine, young examples of what success in school can for you. I beleived the boy who was stabbed in the leg deserved it. I beleive the news of a woman who was raped at the North Linicum station LR does not mean the system isn't safe. I beleive Baltimore is charm city. I beleive that corruption in city government is nonexistent. I do NOT beleive that Baltimore is the second dealiest city in America. I beleive the number of incidents on board MTA buses is misleading and over-stated. I beleive that, were it not for unjust incarceration, more young black men would graduate Blatimore High schools. I beleive my Kool Aid tastes funny. I beleive.
87 agree | 73 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
A class action lawsuit is maybe what's needed here. The two men that were attacked and called derogatorily racial slures 'during' the attack, while the bus driver did nothing, and now this incompetent Police Chief making comments that add insult to injury, highlight how deeply ingrained is the incompetence and possibly criminal negligence of this sorrrry MTA system under Governor O'Malley.
95 agree | 79 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The two men of Caucasian persuasion riding a bus and attacked while being caller "white" this and "white" that (while the driver sat by and did not call police) I'm sure would agree with Police Chief David Franklin's assessment that MTA buses are 'very safe'. Uh-huh. The victims need to sue the MTA, Governor O'Malley who oversees the MTA, and the police chief for making such a blatantly outrageous gag-me-with-a-spoon statement.
90 agree | 83 disagree
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PW said:
Holy cow!! It's as if Franklin has never been on a MTA bus before. It seems the wheels are coming off....again!
93 agree | 95 disagree
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Reluctant Rider said:
I don't know about the rest of the riding public, but I for one, rest easy knowing this guy is "on the job." Yes sir, a real donut shop dynamo.
94 agree | 87 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"I would say, yes, our system is very safe." I think Sarah Kreager would dispute the Chiefs findings. Nice work, officer Krupkie.
69 agree | 93 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
They shold have asked the riders or should I say the victims on the buses. Ask them if they feel safe. You don't need some bozo who only got the job because of his race. He doesn't ride the death traps. Probally never been on the bus without his gun. So he says they are safe. Bozo has a gun a bullet resistant vest and probally a body guard. The only thing normals riders have is fear. Wake up bozo.
63 agree | 88 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
forjesussake: If you curse your children out at home and in the street, they are going to come in public and curse at other people. If you slap your child side his/her head,they are going to do the samethings in public. City government cannot re-raise your children. IF IT'S NOT TAUGHT AT HOME ITS NOT USED IN PUBLIC. A lot of you like to refer to people as animals. Remember when someone took some time with you when you wern't so fortunate. You forgot how God made man and what He made man out of......you're no different.
91 agree | 92 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
C'mon, we all know what's going on here. How can Franklin claim the buses & trains are safe and keep a straight face? Ooops, looks like he couldn't. Where does this cat spend his shift, anyway? Anyone else ever ride the mass transit systems in other countries? You would not beleive the difference. The moment we stop treating mass transit as an extention of welfare, security (and ridership) will increase.
88 agree | 90 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why is the city in such denial over this issue ? Mr. Franklin should ride the bus himself for a week, then do an interview and tell us how "safe" city buses are.
90 agree | 79 disagree
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Examiner reader said:
what does it matter what the afge is of the criminal? dead is dead. yo'malley has used the mta polcie job as a political payback.. these cops are no more than security guards.
81 agree | 82 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
My son works for MTA I can asure you it is not safe.I bet this MTA cop does not ride the bus and nor does any one in his family.They don't care about the safety of others.They just get their pay check and move forward.This is just another incident to them.NO BIGGIE.This is Baltimore life on our streets.And no one cares.No hate crime here,it happened to a white person.END OF STORY
105 agree | 62 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a frequent "rider" of the MTA I ask the Chief exactly when are your officers on the buses, and what days of the week are they on the light rail and when do they enter the subway unless they have dogs with them? I will admit that they have no problem looking under a train at Camden Yards at 6:30 AM, thereby causing one to be late for work. If officers were on the buses with frequency would the drivers be talking on their cell phones? Would those passengers that "snort" drugs in the early morning or those that smoke on the trains in the afternoon continuously do this if the Chief's officers were on them? Would the kids that ride them be 1/4 as disrepectful as they are? The problem is the lack of accountability and the monopoly the MTA has. Perhaps the Chief can tell us his definition of the word safe.
86 agree | 90 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You wanna ride the bus? Be prepared to be aBUSed. "Your new ride, our new attitude." Beleive.
94 agree | 95 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The people that run the state and city services are the people appointed by the elected officials. They are accountable to those officials, not you. You voted for O'Mally and Dixon and they back Chief Franklin. You are getting exactly what you voted for at every level of government. Sorry, look in the mirror.
94 agree | 96 disagree
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Reader said:
I'm curious how "safe" our MTA is compared to other major cities. I doubt it is really "safe" ...per capita.
95 agree | 83 disagree
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Mark said:
I try to limit my MTA "experience" to once a year when I'm called for jury duty (another exercise in futility but that's another story). On those lucky instances when something insulting is not uttered towards my white as snow self audibly by some upstanding fine young person the cold threatening stares convey the message quite accurately. Excuse me upstanding fine young person but I'm pretty sure I pay more in taxes to support this system you abuse than you or your kin. Therefore I have as much or more of a right to use it than you. It's far past time for criminals to be dealt with as criminals by the city and not "poor under privileged children" and if you love acting like animals we have a marvelous facility over Gwynn Fall's way with some vacant cages you're welcome to inhabit. Baltimore sure isn't headed in any good direction and those at the top of city government that shirk their responsibility to fix problems aren't helping in the least.
109 agree | 67 disagree
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Reader said:
LIES! There are NO cops on buses!!!! Of course he is going ot say "very safe"...his job is at stake....and should be taken from him if his ignorance of the MTA is any indication of job performance.
86 agree | 100 disagree
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Metro Survivor said:
When asked if there were any plans to separate student riders from the rest of us, Fraklin says "We have not talked about that." Well Chief, you better get with the program because that's EVERYONE ELSE IS TALKING ABOUT!
103 agree | 87 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is the standard line from another MTA do-nothing. Whenever something happens on a MTA bus or train, MTA responds by saying that there are many COPS in plain clothes. -- That's a just a load of crap. Chief, here is a question for you: Exactly HOW MANY plain-clothed COPS are deployed on MTA assets today? Ok, so you don't want to address the problems that are so obvious to the rest of us, fine. Just don't insult my intellegence by saying you're doing something about them.
84 agree | 82 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The attitude of Chief Franklin as conveyed in this article is precisely the problem. He seems almost disinterested in the troubles facing MTA security. To even suggest that there was no racial motivation with regard to the most recent attacks onboard MTA vehicles, is indicative of the double standards for acceptable conduct in Baltimore; One for whites, and another for blacks -- who clearly have a different idea of what is acceptable personal conduct in public. Anyone, who has even taken a short ride on MTA, knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Sure, we can all deny that which we know to be true, but denials cannot change the truth. If we cannot even acknowledge the problem, any solution remains out of reach.
84 agree | 77 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
mta needs to be overhauled, bus drivers need hazardous pay, buses and equipment should always be in working order, resources/allegations should be investigated first, in some cases better parenting skills, people need to care
94 agree | 83 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The system is safe, as long as you are not white.
127 agree | 84 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
...and the beat goes on....
74 agree | 90 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
That's like someone slappin' me in the face and sayin' "I was only playin'" The look on the guy's face says everything about how seriously he's takin' this crisis on the MTA buses, don't it? Uh-huh. The buses are 'very safe' *grin grin*
80 agree | 86 disagree
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MH said:
Further down in the comments someone mentioned BRAC, you have to know as a state we are going to screw that up too! I think SLOTS are to blame for the crimes being committed around the state in general,sorry forgot we never got slots, I wonder why things are failing apart then. Hmmmm guess maybe it it is the slots in Delaware causing us all this trouble. Happy New Year everyone, I lok forward to reading everyones comments in the New Year.
110 agree | 101 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Like our esteemed CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, Dr. Andres' Alonso, stated on television in reference to these juveniles (who committed such a dastardly, wanton act of violence) we must remember, these are just children. Uh-huh. Now that makes me feel better. Bravo Dr. Alonso, and Mayor Sheila Dixon (who is in hiding and only ventures out for parties to highlight how wonderful our city is) *gag* And this guy. And then there's David Franklin. I feel better after reading his comments, don't you?
92 agree | 79 disagree
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