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_brobeans_ t1_jd48dox wrote

I think you should let people on bikes take a pic of the license plate and upload it to the DOT. Then you issue them a citation and give a cut to the reporting person. Like a bike bounty system

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BmoreCityDOT OP t1_jd4iebh wrote

That is being trialed in NYC, we're watching that program closely.

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ThisAmericanSatire t1_jd5fhjp wrote

I've said this before but...

I will continue reporting FOR FREE if someone actually shows up and writes a ticket or tows the vehicle.

Almost every single day at lunchtime, I report 1-3 commercial vehicles parked in the Potomac bike lane at O'Donnell Square.

The fact that this is an ongoing problem tells me that enforcement is nowhere near the level where it needs to be.

Reporting the violations is not the issue.

The real issue is getting someone to respond to the violation fast enough to actually do something about it.

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BmoreCityDOT OP t1_jd90msl wrote

Thank you for reporting them! Those reports help us focus our enforcement, which is what this post is about.

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orlitzky t1_jd5n3sf wrote

That's why issuing a citation from the photo you took while they were still parked in the bike lane would help.

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ThisAmericanSatire t1_jd5pgc1 wrote

And then people will challenge the tickets saying it was photoshopped, so you'll have to show up in court and testify, but you will be like "eh, do I really want to go down to court and go through all that just to get paid $25? Nahhh."

And then every asshole in town will realize they can just challenge the tickets in court and the witness is unlikely to show up and deal with the hassle, resulting in the fines being dismissed, which will defeat the whole purpose.

The idea of paying bounties for photo evidence is an idea that sounds really great in theory, but will likely not produce meaningful results.

At worst, it'll be just another means for blaming victims and dismissing complaints - "Stop complaining that there's cars parked in the bike lanes! Be part of the solution! Take pictures and we'll pay you!"*

*After you waste a day of your life in court that will probably cost you more money in lost wages than the bounty pays.

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orlitzky t1_jd6bc1m wrote

It wastes the driver's time to appeal even if the witness stays home. This raises the cost of parking in the bike lane significantly from its current level of zero.

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monkeycat909 t1_jd89zni wrote

The photoshop issue can be mitigated by requiring a video instead of a photo. In NYC, the city offers bounties to people who submit videos of commercial vehicles idling. I'd love to see Baltimore do the same.

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Cunninghams_right t1_jd4dng3 wrote

this would be problematic photoshop.

maybe a better way to go would be to just put some of those city-watch cameras (or whatever they're called) along the bike lanes and let the parking enforcement people "patrol" 10s of miles of bike lanes in seconds. give those remote operators a small bonus for every ticket. they'll watch like a hawk. they can do double-duty as parking enforcement and crime prevention.

though, I suppose there could be some significant fine for people who are proven to have committed fraud with the photo uploads. that may deter false reports. you would just need parking enforcement to occasionally double-check on the reported cars to make sure people are not committing fraud

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orlitzky t1_jd5mwd9 wrote

> this would be problematic photoshop... you would just need parking enforcement to occasionally double-check on the reported cars to make sure people are not committing fraud

They should be checking all of them. The driver is being accused of a crime, so both the reporter and the person issuing the citation should be subject to some "penalty of perjury" boilerplate, implying that they have at least looked at the thing. And you don't get paid unless the city knows your real identity. So all things considered I think this would be a pretty unattractive form of fraud/revenge.

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Cunninghams_right t1_jd8nlvj wrote

if a city employee has to physically be there to check every report, then there is no point in having a citizen reporting mechanism. if the city employee isn't there, then the image can be faked. if you had a city employee show up to SOME, but not all, citizen reports, then it could deter people from committing fraud because there is a real risk of getting caught.

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orlitzky t1_jda7bk7 wrote

I didn't realize you meant check them in person. I was suggesting that they (remotely) check the image metadata, compare the photo to the make/model of the registered vehicle, look at the witness's report history, etc. Basic sanity checks before issuing the citation. Checking in person rules out ticketing anyone who parks in the bike lane for less than, say, half an hour.

As for photoshop, the bottom line is that I can already fabricate evidence and sue random strangers if I want to. The fact that this involves a bike lane doesn't fundamentally change anything in that regard. It's high risk and low reward, and unless I missed a fun new crime trend, is not a big problem in practice.

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Cunninghams_right t1_jdadbr4 wrote

yes, a basic sanity check should happen with every citation.

involving the city and issuing a citation is fundamentally different from a person taking another person to civil court. the city is going to have to be liable for the claims of random people, so it should have a bit more scrutiny. but like I said, it does not need to be very many spot-checks in person in order to be a significant deterrent, AND help the city be less open to lawsuits in the future for not doing due diligence. .

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moderndukes t1_jd8k8x8 wrote

Since it would technically be used in court, wouldnt that amount to false testimony / statements? I also think this is far less of a problem then you’re thinking, considering people can already photograph and report.

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Cunninghams_right t1_jd8mwg8 wrote

the photograph and report isn't what is being used as evidence to give them a ticket currently, just as the reasoning for the city worker to show up. the city employee then documents it and tickets.

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moderndukes t1_jd8kcbb wrote

I feel like every time I see this posted, it loses sight of the fact that people can already take photos and report such.

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_brobeans_ t1_jd8mvv4 wrote

Personally I just say oh well and bike around the car without really caring. But if someone was going to give me 5 dollars every time I reported a car, I would stop and to it. Human psychology haha

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