MPS: The City of Wilkes-Barre’s Use of SafetyStick Devices for Parking Enforcement Has Proven Successful, and Mayor George Brown Is Expanding the Initiative

The city contracted with Municipal Parking Services a little over a year ago to install 10 SafetySticks^® in various downtown locations to crack down on people who park illegally in handicap parking spaces, at bus stops, too close to fire hydrants, too close to corners, in commercial loading zones and in spaces reserved for emergency vehicles or other authorized vehicles.

These gray poles, about 42 inches tall, have a camera inside and transmit time-stamped photos of vehicles and their license plates to MPS company offices, where employees review the photos and send out citations to the offenders based on vehicle registration information.

In response to an inquiry from The Citizens' Voice, Brown said there are now 42 SafetySticks^® installed at various locations throughout the city, and the next phase of installations will occur in the next 60 to 90 days with an additional 20 SafetySticks^®.

SafetySticks^® are solar powered with internal battery cells, so the city pays no associated electricity costs. The 8-megapixel cameras inside are activated by a radar vehicle detection system. And the devices recognize and record a vehicle’s license plate using License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology, also known as Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR).

SafetyStick cameras allow a 90-second grace period for people who park in a handicap-only space just to drop someone off, parking enforcement officer Rob Sliker has said.

Sliker said last year that the city was working on getting taller cameras to position in front of handicap spaces for vehicles that have a handicap placard but not a handicap license plate. But Brown said last week he learned those types of cameras are not yet available.

Linda Joseph, president of the Rolling Mill Hill Residents Association, asked how the SafetyStick program was progressing during public comment at a recent council meeting.

Joseph said she knew of a situation in which someone received a parking ticket, and they had no idea what a SafetyStick was or why they received a ticket.

"it was waived because they had only been there … a little bit more than 90 seconds," Joseph said. "Do people really know what they are? … Maybe we need a reminder out there or something."

She also asked how the program was working, whether there was an adequate number of SafetySticks^® throughout the city and if there were plans to install more.

Brown replied that his administration released information to educate the public about the program when it started last year.

"We originally put them in places that people definitely should not park at. What I mean by that is fire hydrants, handicap spots that are identified, too close to the corner, those type things that are safety hazards or could be a safety hazard," Brown said.

Since the program expanded, Brown told Joseph, “You’ll see more now on Old River Road. You're gonna say, 'Why there?' Because when the kids get out from Kistler (Elementary School), it could be a hazardous situation. People were actually parking up on the grassy areas."

"It’s been very successful, and that's why we're going to be adding more. So, there's more coming throughout the city," Brown said.

MPS has issued 9,883 citations for parking violations in the city in the last year, Brown said in an email to The Citizens' Voice.

That number includes citations that vehicle owners successfully appealed. But the number of successfully appealed citations was not available, Brown said.

MPS initially received $2 from every $25 parking fine, but that fee has since increased to 40% of the amount collected on each fine.

In total, the City has received $126,135 in revenue from parking citations issued through the SafetyStick program, Brown said.

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Stephen Mocarsky - Steve Mocarsky covers the City of Wilkes-Barre for The Citizens' Voice

About Municipal Parking Services (MPS)

Founded in 2013, Municipal Parking Services Inc. (MPS) is an innovative technology company providing smart, internet-connected parking solutions and cloud-enabled parking compliance services to cities, municipalities, and university systems across North America.