Title
Ordinance amending the Pittsburgh Code at various places in Title Five: Traffic, Article VII: Parking, so as to increase the fines for illegal parking.
Body
Whereas: The fines for illegal parking have not been raised in two decades, and in that time inflation has almost doubled while the cost of illegally parking has remained the same; and,
Whereas: The cost of a parking ticket downtown is currently lower than the cost to legally park in a garage; and,
Whereas: The City's Pension Fund is currently facing a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars, and may be subjected to a state takeover at the end of the year; and,
Whereas: The fiscally responsible thing to do is to raise the fines and use the proceeds to provide the pension fund with the additional revenue,
The Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1 The Pittsburgh Code at Title Five: Traffic, Article VII: Parking, Chapter 541: General Parking Regulations, Section 541.07: Penalty is hereby amended as follows so as to increase the fine from fifteen dollars ($15.00) to twenty five dollars ($25.00):
§ 541.07 PENALTY
Whoever violates any provision of this Chapter where another penalty is not otherwise provided shall pay a penalty of not more than [fifteen dollars ($15.00)] twenty five dollars ($25.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority as provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (See 42 P.S. 1725.1). Whoever violates § 541.01(c)(4) shall pay a penalty of [fifteen dollars ($15.00)] twenty five dollars ($25.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority and provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (42 P.S. 1725.91), provided, however, that all summary citations issued for violations of § 541.01(c)(4), shall specify prominently, in writing, that citations for violations of the street cleaning provisions shall be null and void if the citation is issued after street cleaning takes place on that day or if no street cleaning actually occurs that day.
Section 2 The Pittsburgh Code at Title Five: Traffic, Article VII: Parking, Chapter 543: Parking Meters, Section 543.09: Penalty is hereby amended as follows so as to increase the fines for illegal parking and other violations:
§ 543.09 PENALTY
(a) Whoever violates or fails to comply with any provision of §§ 543.02 to 543.05 shall be fined [eleven dollars ($11.00)] twenty dollars ($20.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority as provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (see 42 P.S. Sec. 1725.1). Whoever violates or fails to comply with any provision of §§ 543.02 to 543.05 within the Central Business District and Oakland areas shall be fined [sixteen dollars ($16.00)] thirty dollars ($30.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority as provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (see 42 P.S. Sec. 1725.1). After the vehicle is found in violation and a violation notice is issued, a separate violation shall be deemed committed for every subsequent two-hour period the vehicle is parked in violation of this Chapter.
(b) Whoever violates or fails to comply with any provision of §543.07 shall be fined a minimum of eighty dollars ($80.00) and any costs pertaining to repair or replacement of damaged meters.
[b] (c) Whoever violates or fails to comply with any other provision of this Chapter shall be fined [not more than fifty dollars ($50.00)] a minimum of eighty dollars ($80.00).
Section 3 The Pittsburgh Code at Title Five: Traffic, Article VII: Parking, Chapter 545: Off-Street Parking, Section 545.05: Penalty is hereby amended so as to increase the fines for illegal parking:
§ 545.05 PENALTY
(a) Whoever violates or fails to comply with any provisions of this Chapter shall be fined [ten dollars ($10.00)] twenty dollars ($20.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority as provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (see 42 P.S. Sec. 1725.1). Whoever violates or falls to comply with any provision of this Chapter within the Central Business District and Oakland areas shall be fined [fifteen dollars ($15.00)] thirty dollars ($30.00) and costs equivalent to the costs for summary offenses established by the governing authority as provided in the Judicial and Judiciary Code (see 42 P.S. Sec. 1725.1). (Ord. 32-1992, eff. 10-9-92)
Section 4 The Pittsburgh Code at Title Five: Traffic, Article VII: Parking, Chapter 549: Residential Parking Permit Program, Section 549.14: Penalty is hereby amended so as to increase the fine for illegal parking:
549.14 PENALTY.
(a) Violation of any provision of this chapter except 549.15 and 549.14(b) shall subject the violator to a fine of not more than [thirty-five dollars ($35.00)] Forty-five Dollars ($45.00).
(b) In any RPPP district, any part of which falls within one thousand two hundred (1,200) feet of a public assembly facility with a seating capacity of more then sixty thousand (60,000), the violation of any provision of this chapter except 549.15 shall subject the violator to a fine of not more than [one hundred dollars ($100.00)] one hundred twenty dollars ($120.00) on days when events occur at these public facilities.