True_Blue_112 t1_iwzxmqg wrote on November 19, 2022 at 5:47 PM

DC needs to announce that they will place a Denver boot on any car in DC, at any time, day or night, with outstanding tickets. Then, the Mayor could send police cadets to both parking lots and street parking to scan licenses and call/scan them into DDOT’s teams to immediately boot cars, emphasizing those with the highest number of tickets…until they pay. Sounds aggressive, but it might bring neighboring governors to the table to make reciprocity the law, in the name of pedestrian safety.

jednorog t1_ix18vr5 wrote on November 19, 2022 at 11:31 PM

Most of the tools you're describing already exist, it's just that the Mayor has not made them a priority.

DC has underfunded the booting and towing crew for years. During the first year or so of the pandemic they all but entirely refused to do their jobs, until (now-outgoing) CM Cheh got on their cases. Still, as of last year, their capacity to boot was only 50 cars per day (!) which is basically the same as zero.

Several Council Members noted that the Mayor's proposed budget kept the same funding for the booting/towing crew as in previous years, which is obviously insufficient for the problem. I recall that several Council Members proposed better funding for the booting/towing crew, but I don't recall whether they succeeded.

dc_laffpat t1_ix4bayi wrote on November 20, 2022 at 5:30 PM

What does parking tickets have to do with pedestrian safety? Seems like just another way to squeeze less wealthy residents out. Actually enforcing moving violations is where the city is lacking, but it's easier revenue to just do more parking enforcement rather than spending comparatively more money to enforce moving violations, the things that actually endanger pedestrians.

True_Blue_112 t1_ix5ieby wrote on November 20, 2022 at 10:17 PM

Drivers who are ticketed for moving violations are likely to park in DC for work or leisure. The car owner’s license tag is noted on the ticket. Therefore, finding a car which has outstanding tickets, simply by checking the license tag (while the car is parked on the street or in a lot) is a straightforward way to find cars to Denver boot when their owners live in MD or VA and have outstanding tickets of any kind in DC. However, as a previous post noted, the department charged with traffic/ticket enforcement is woefully underfunded and has been for many years. At this point, it would take a sustained and organized public outcry to change this. So far, that hasn’t materialized and there is no impetus to change at all.