Passport: Parking Citation Best Practices

In the hustle and bustle of urban life, parking citations play a crucial role in maintaining order within city parking regulations.

These citations, although sometimes viewed as a source of frustration for drivers, serve a fundamental purpose in ensuring that the city’s parking rules and regulations are followed. In fact, the effectiveness of parking citation systems goes beyond mere revenue generation, but also serves as a mechanism to foster compliance, promote turnover for business traffic while keeping residents safe, and uphold the integrity of parking regulations.

While parking citations penalize violators, they also create a well-structured parking ecosystem that benefits everyone, from local businesses to residents and commuters. To achieve this, it is essential for municipalities to understand and adhere to citation best practices in order to ensure a fair and efficient process.

1. Trusted Vendor

Choose a trusted vendor partner to handle your enforcement needs.

A partnership with Passport significantly contributes to driving compliance and other successes within a city’s organization.

Our expertise, customized solutions, and commitment to helping navigate the regulatory landscape can lead to improved efficiency, reduced risks, and enhanced reputation – ultimately contributing to long-term growth and success.

2. Signage

By providing clear and easily understandable parking signage, cities inform and update residents and visitors alike about parking regulations.

Confusing or poorly placed signs can lead to unintentional violations.

3. Well-Documented Procedures

Cities should present well-documented procedures for issuing and contesting parking citations, ensuring that information is easily accessible both online and in print. This transparency helps residents and users understand the process and enables cities to effectively implement citation management.

In addition, strategically documented issuance and letter sending processes ensure violators pay in a timely manner. This can range from written instructions to a QR code that links where to pay for a citation.

4. Maintained City Website

Cities who optimize their own websites by following ADA compliant guidelines better communicate to constituents about where and how to pay for a citation.

For example, the City of Tampa utilizes bold fonts, bright colors and minimal text-heavy instructions to create a seamless experience for the end-user.

5. Easily Accessible Payment Site

By providing an easily accessible payment site, cities ensure offenders not only pay in a timely manner, but avoid unnecessary escalations or further frustration.

Through a partnership with Passport, cities can help reduce the number of citations residents want to appeal as they can see evidence of their infraction prior to payment.

6. Prompt Responses

Cities should respond promptly to inquiries and appeals regarding parking citations as timely resolution of issues can prevent unnecessary frustration for violators.

For more information on Passport’s best practices, contact a representative or visit our blog!

About Passport 

Passport is a mobility software and payments company that builds solutions to centrally manage complexities at the curb. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Passport is trusted by more than 800 cities, universities and agencies, including Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and Miami. Passport’s mobility management platform helps cities manage parking and mobility infrastructure, creating more livable, equitable communities. One of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists, Passport was also the 2021 Fintech category winner for the NC Tech Association’s Industry Driven award.