Currently, parking patrol officers manually write parking tickets for those who haven’t paid for parking. The City of Edmonton is working towards automating this process in EPark zones using a digital camera system that captures licence plate images to validate if a vehicle’s parking is paid. Under the new system, parking tickets will be mailed, rather than left on a vehicle’s windshield.
What is Automated Parking Enforcement?
Parking enforcement is currently done by beat officers who manually write tickets. Currently, the City is exploring an automated solution to parking enforcement. This solution involves the use of cameras mounted to the top of City cars that can scan licence plates and identify vehicles not registered as paid on the EPark system.
Under the new system, tickets would no longer be written manually and left under a vehicle’s windshield wiper. The plan is to initially only apply automated enforcement to tickets generated in EPark zones located downtown, in Old Strathcona and in all City-owned parkades. All other types of parking tickets would continue to be manually created and left on windshields.
The cost of a ticket for parking in an EPark zone without payment would not change and remain $50. All violations identified by automated enforcement would be manually reviewed and verified before a parking ticket was issued. Parking Enforcement Services would strive to address all parking violations within three to five business days.
Improved Enforcement
Adopting this leading-edge technology would improve efficiency when dealing with parking violations and our ability to respond to citizen complaints and parking enforcement services around Commonwealth Stadium events, Rogers Place and in residential communities surrounding festivals.
It would also enable parking officers to tackle other parking challenges in the future such as around school drop-off and pick-up zones, in front of businesses, at accessible parking spaces, in residential areas, during rush hour tow-away times and during seasonal snow parking bans.
Why We Enforce Parking
- To keep roads safe by identifying cars that are blocking sight lines, hydrants, or roadways
- To ensure customers can access nearby businesses and supports an orderly turnover of stall use
- To ensure people with mobility challenges can park near their destination
- To keep traffic flowing by ensuring no-parking zones are clear during rush hour
- To help City crews keep streets clear of snow
- To alleviate disruption to residential neighbourhoods
Impact to Parking Placard Holders
The new automated parking enforcement system is not designed to ‘read’ any parking placards. This includes Parking Placards for People with Disabilities. Because of this impact on the placard community, the City will be doing further consultation to ensure other options are examined that address this issue before automated enforcement is launched.