Authored by Denise McCrimmon, 54B District Court Administrator
Most of us have had a parking ticket at one time or another. In cases where we ran out of change (or didn’t get there in time to add more), most of us accept and pay the ticket as a normal course of action. However, not all parking tickets (or citizen’s reactions to them) are created equal.
Citizens who feel they received a parking ticket in error may take their cause to the courts to contest their violation. Often, they just want their voice heard by the court – an acknowledgement of their frustration. Last year, 42,924 parking tickets were issued in East Lansing, Mich., alone. And 1,325 citizens appeared in our court to contest their ticket. While only a fraction of them got a deal, the majority were given a platform to communicate the extenuating circumstances of their ticket.
To make contesting parking tickets more customer friendly, East Lansing implemented an innovative solution to our parking problem – online resolution through Court Innovation’s Matterhorn system. In addition to the online warrant and traffic modules running in our district court, we launched an online parking module. Citizens who receive a parking ticket can file a request online to have their ticket reviewed. Using the online platform, they are able to describe the extenuating circumstances of their violation. This information is then sent to one of our clerks to verify that the ticket is eligible for the program. If so, the case is forwarded to the judge for a final decision – which may include adjusting or suspending the fines and costs.
We are proud to offer citizens the added benefit of not having to appear in court in order to have their voice heard. This means they can avoid taking time off of work, arranging for transportation or childcare, and waiting in line at the court.
A somewhat unexpected outcome of this new system has been the expanded access to justice for citizens who commute. We are a popular college town. Thousands of citizens visit East Lansing weekly for conferences, tours, sporting events, and presentations. Unfamiliar with the parking regulations in the city, a considerable number of tickets have been issued for overnight street parking – a citywide ordinance that is not widely known to visitors. Fortunately, visitors to our city are now able to resolve their ticket online without having to return to East Lansing. Some citizens have received a lower fine depending on their circumstances.
The success with our parking module in East Lansing has demonstrated that this can be a solution for cities with similar commuting populations. Whether it is a campus town or a tourist destination, the online parking module is a proven method for expanding access to justice for non-residents. It saves citizens time and effort involved with coming to court.