CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There's a push for higher fines if someone parks illegally in Charlotte.
In the growing Queen City, finding a parking spot can be difficult. At times, people park where they aren't supposed to.
Right now, people are charged $25 dollars when parked illegally in some spots, but a Charlotte non-profit is showing support to increase that fine to $100. The goal is to not only deter people from parking in certain spots but also create more safety for bikers and pedestrians.
“I see it a lot when I drive in and out of the city, especially blocking the bike lanes," Robert Barrett said.
Sustain Charlotte wants new changes to be made to the city code. They've now created a petition they plan to show the city council. The revisions would increase the fines for cars that park on sidewalks, bike paths, streetcar right-of-ways, electric vehicle spaces (if driving a gas-powered car), and loading zones.
“We want there to be more enforcement, more regular enforcement of this policy, said Hope Wright, an advocacy manager at Sustain Charlotte, "but also raising the fines so that if people get fined $100, they’re a lot less likely to park there again, thus making it safer to walk and bike and take transit around town."
According to Sustain Charlotte, people who walk and bike in Charlotte are involved in only 3% of crashes, yet they account for about 33% of all traffic deaths. There's hope this change will force people to park in designated areas, creating safer streets.
“If there is a car parked on a sidewalk or bike lane, it forces the people who are using that to go into the street, which is obviously very unsafe," Wright said, "because you have cars going by at crazy speeds and it makes it unpredictable to know what a pedestrian is going to do."
These potential changes were met with mixed reactions from Charlotte residents.
"Great idea, it will stop them from doing it," Juanette Vaughn, said.
"$100 dollars is a big price jump," Tamanni Gilbert said.
And as Charlotte works to increase mobility and other transportation options, advocates say this is a step in the right direction.
“People aren’t going to be moving towards other forms of transportation unless they have viable, safe, convenient options," Wright said.
The city council is expected to vote on this amendment on November 27.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.