London

London launches new system for dealing with parking violations

The city will now be processing parking violations through a municipal screening officer, a move that is intended to reduce the burden in provincial courts.

Violations will no longer be heard in provincial court, but by a city officer

A vehicle parked on King Street in London, Ont. received two municipal parking violations on Oct 29, 2019. (Travis Dolynny/CBC)

The City of London is launching a new system to process parking violations that aims to reduce congestion in provincial courts, which currently handle the infractions.

Starting Friday, the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMP) will employ a municipal screening officer, who can modify, cancel, or affirm parking penalties. The city says the AMP will provide a faster and more accessible dispute resolution process.

Officers will also be able to issue tickets by mail to the registered owner of a vehicle.

"The ability to mail tickets to vehicle owners brings a much needed enforcement tool," said Stephen Miller, manager of municipal law enforcement and parking in a statement.

"In school zones in particular, our team is often called to enforce parking regulations. We hope that this practice will prevent vehicles that are illegally parked from pulling out in an unsafe manner to avoid being ticketed."

There will be no change to existing parking regulations, but if you receive a penalty notice, you will have only 15 days to pay or dispute it. After 15 days, the penalty is no longer disputable and additional fees will apply.

Municipal parking fines range from $30 to $100 depending on the location of the infraction.

For more on the AMP, visit the city website here.