Maybe it seems like New York City hates cars so much because it tickets the shit out of them. Over half of the revenue raised by fines last year were because of parking tickets. I guess the city is trying to tell me not to drive here.
The city made $993 million in fines in 2016, reports the New York Daily News, mostly through “quality of life penalties” like littering and noise. Parking tickets accounted for 55 percent of all fines, however, increasing the city’s revenue by $545 million.
The publication notes that this is a $32 million increase since 2012.
From the story:
Parking fines jumped $79 million during [Mayor de Blasio’s] time in office, and fines from red lights, bus lane, and speed cameras went up $21 million.
Camera fines added up to $96 million last year, the biggest category after parking and quality of life tickets. Building permit penalties generated another $60 million.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that parking in a garage is astronomically expensive. Or that street parking can be confusing. Or that there aren’t just enough places to park. Or that there are just too many cars.
Maybe a combination of all three.