A parking machine along King Street in Saint John. (Staff photo)
Saint John has passed the first two readings of a bylaw that would see fines for parking infractions rise by $10.
Expired meter tickets would rise to $30 from $20, while violations like parking in a no-parking zone, snow ban parking, and parking at a meter overnight would rise to $40 from $30.
“The parking commission, year over year, issues somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 tickets, and that generates approximately $600,000 annually,” said Marc Dionne, general manager of the Saint John Parking Commission.
In a presentation to council Monday, Dionne estimated the increased fines would lead to $127,500 in additional revenue for the city.
Nearly all parking violations would come at an increased cost, with the exception of parking in an accessible parking space, which is not under the city’s jurisdiction.
The bylaw would also increase the cost of tickets not paid in a timely manner, which Dionne says can be expensive for the city.
“It does get more labour-intensive as we take these things to court more and more people get involved,” he said. “We need to get legal involved.”
The bylaw will need to pass a third reading before it goes into effect.
