5 ms·

Fixed – The easiest way to fix a parking ticket

51 points by lbr 13y ago

Zikes 13y ago
I can't find anything on their site that lists what cities are supported, but I'm pretty sure it's Bay Area only. I totally understand that, it'd just be nice to see it in a FAQ or something.
- smackfu 13y ago
  Even if you download the app, it's not clear. It has an "Availability Check" and you enter your ZIP Code, then it puts you the waiting list. Which is the same whether you put in a Bay Area ZIP or a Bumfuck USA ZIP.
- biturd 13y ago
  If you contest a ticket and the officer does not show up you win a default judgement. Perhaps they are playing on the fact that unless they are on duty on the scheduled date, they are probably not showing up at court.
  - jrs235 13y ago
    Many jurisdictions will pay officers to appear and many don't factor appearing into their budgets/schedules, so the officers are paid at overtime rates (time and a half). Many officer's don't mind having to appear... they make bank and many pensions are based on the three years of highest revenue (this is a method officers abuse in Wisconsin... they will work as much OT as they can for three years especially near retirement, since the legislature hasn't bothered fixing/forcing pensions to be based on 40 hours / week.)
  - pfranz 13y ago
    Mirroring what jrs235 said, I've also heard officers schedule court appearances all together so it's more convenient for them to show up.
  - smackfu 13y ago
    I doubt it makes financial sense for them to do anything at all past an initial letter contesting the ticket. If they get it dismissed, they make 25%. Otherwise they walk away and say "sorry, we tried."
robbiet480 13y ago
Can I get an invite? me@robbiet.us. Need to invite my roommates, who both have a few tickets they need to get fixed.
joshred 13y ago
If this gets popular, the courts will just change how they handle challenges.
- MichaelApproved 13y ago
  In what way can they change the process?
  - ars 13y ago
    They can charge to fight a ticket. Boston does that: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/07/controversial_ticket_appeal_fees_to_have_sjc_hearing/ http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011... In Boston parking tickets are not about doing something wrong, or trying to curb behavior. They are basically a backdoor tax on the residents.
    - Karunamon 13y ago
      Seems unconstitutional/illegal to me. While a layperson might not be able to fight it, a company who's business model is based on it might definitely be in a better position.
  - fwenzel 13y ago
    They can also lean towards rejecting almost any challenge entered by a system like this one. Conveniently, where I live, if you enter your argument by mail you are waiving your right to a trial, and they won't even reply to you unless you win (in which case you get some money back and it's obvious you won).
smackfu 13y ago
>No fee to contest: We charge 25% of the fine if you win. You have nothing to lose. Except that you are assuming they are better at contesting tickets than you.
- OscarCunningham 13y ago
  Most people don't know anything in particular about contesting a parking fine. But it's literally these people's job. Also, note the incentives are the right way round: they get paid only if they win.
  - smackfu 13y ago
    They're pretty much just taking the data you enter in the app, printing it on the SF MTA protest form, giving it a quick read, and mailing it in.
darklajid 13y ago
I'm confused. Why? Are we talking "I didn't do anything wrong" tickets, stuff that is unfair but hard to fight? Or is this about "I park wherever I want and try to avoid the consequences"? So far it seems that most of the customers are of the latter variety. While I understand the motivation to act like an asshole, this service empowers .. assholes? We're regularly discussing if free apps (downward spiral) or free content (adblockers) are okay. But free parking is fine, right?
- smackfu 13y ago
  The reasons they show in the screenshot seem more like the former. "Meter broken", "Curb paint faded", "Missing signs". But I don't see how they can contest those things without proof, and getting proof seems like it would be rather expensive. Pay one person to go out and take a photo and your profits are gone.
  - darklajid 13y ago
    Quite frankly, the first one is the only one I believe in, but then again I'm from a country far, far away and all that. Meter broken? Happens. Curb paint faded? Doesn't apply here (That's something that works a little different), but I have a hard time seeing that being a _common_ reason. Really. Common sense and remains of paint would probably be enough. Missing signs: Seems to be too big of a deal. In my world there's no way you can hand out tickets without having signs in place. You'd be contested again and again even without this service and would stop that behavior - or put up signs. This is not a temporary failure or a result of decay. And then there's the 'meter times unclear' or 'other' part. Again, if this is trying to fight unfair tickets I'm a huge fan. It just doesn't look like that and the comments here seem to be mostly 'Yeah, where do I sign up to get that ticket removed'. I .. park where I'm allowed to park, search a parking spot if I'm not sure OR (last time: 2 weeks back) risk a ticket and pay it if I get one. I guess I lack the empathy for people that have a different way here..
    - techsupporter 13y ago
      For San Francisco (the city in the screenshot and the only city that ever seems to matter when getting app-based startups), the rule is that parking at a broken meter is still very much valid. Same goes for where I live and everywhere I've lived and tried to park in multiple places in the U.S. I suspect this is half an enforcement problem (doesn't look good in the papers, "City Tows People Parked at Busted Meters") and part not denying use of a parking spot just because the one pay box is busted. Broken meters are one reason why cities in the U.S. are going to parking time window stickers and fewer pay boxes. As for things like faded curb paint and missing signs and so on, that's not an excuse the operator of the vehicle can use. Even if there's no red curb paint here, you're still not allowed to park within 30 feet of an intersection (on the direction-of-travel side) or 10 feet of a fireplug or 5 feet of a driveway. Those are all things you're expected to know by virtue of having a driver license. Now, being ticketed for being over-time on a free parking stretch that's limited to 2 hours when the sign has gone missing might be one thing, but the folks around here put up so many signs in so many places, I think a person would have a hard time making that stand up. Ultimately: if someone isn't sure and wants to not risk incurring the fine, he or she shouldn't leave a hunk of metal and plastic sitting on the public right-of-way.
teddyh 13y ago
The title and page seem to imply that parking tickets inherently are something which need fixing. As if their very existence was a blight upon the world. If you agree, might I suggest you go into politics or perhaps traffic planning?
- dnautics 13y ago
  most people agree that tickets are something which need fixing[0], but you make 'going into politics' sound so easy. Maybe we all think that local politics are institutions rife with internal corruption and are essentially a club of elites? Why not try to push change on them a different way? [0]http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_court.php http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_co...
  - teddyh 13y ago
    When I said “go into politics”, I did not necessarily mean to become a politician. I meant to make political change – to go after the problem on the political level, however that may be. There are many kinds of “politicians”, just as war is merely a continuation of politics by other means.
jrs235 13y ago
"Up to 50% of tickets are dismissed when challenged." There is probably a high number (half according to them) of tickets that get dismissed because of selection bias. Tickets [that have been] challenged are probably challenged because they have a good chance of being dismissed due to reasonable issue. Challenging more [random] tickets will probably cause this number to fall.
jjallen 13y ago
Won't cities adapt to fight this the more tickets are challenged? They'll say something like: "Oh, this same attorney is fighting hundreds of tickets? We're going to require more evidence to reverse these tickets". They'll put up walls and/or make something about this service illegal. And yes agree that many people will abuse this and fight every ticket regardless of the validity which will cause cities to push back like I mentioned above. Seems like a tenuous business model.
- Zigurd 13y ago
  Businesses that make lots of deliveries already use services that dispute tickets. This is just aggregating retail customers for those services.
27182818284 13y ago
A broken meter is a valid reason in other cities? Huh. Every parking meter around here specifically says if it is broken you can't use it. People are ticketed accordingly if they park there.
- fixermark 13y ago
  So in the region you're describing, the government would rather deprive people entirely of a shared resource than risk the resource be shared without regulation (and money to the government coffers). Unless they had some kind of rash of people breaking meters that they're reacting to, I'm calling shenanigans on that law. In fact, if they haven't had a _recent_ rash... I'm still calling shenanigans.
  - pfranz 13y ago
    A few years ago there was an exposé on valets in LA intentionally breaking meters to control parking. I wouldn't be surprised if it still happens. A few months ago tighter regulations on valets went into effect (not sure how well those have been enforced, though). http://consumerist.com/2009/10/01/hidden-cameras-catch-la-valets-breaking-all-kinds-of-laws/ http://consumerist.com/2009/10/01/hidden-cameras-catch-la-va...
- smackfu 13y ago
  >If a meter is broken you are allowed to park at that meter for the posted time limit, but please report it! http://sfmta.com/ru/services/streets-sidewalks/maintenance-requests/broken-meter http://sfmta.com/ru/services/streets-sidewalks/maintenance-r... Although apparently that's not quite true, since there's another rule that says it is two hours max.
- eli 13y ago
  It's legal to park at a broken meter in DC, but I think you have to call in and report it as broken first and I wouldn't be surprised if you get a ticket anyway (especially if the meter isn't obviously broken). I would imagine this leads to a lot of intentionally broken meters.
- 13y ago
dnautics 13y ago
emanating from LA is a court challenge that may decide that parking penalties are excessive. This would be a statewide ruling (it's in the state courts IIRC). If, say, parking tickets were curbed at "treble damages", wouldn't this hurt this business' model? http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_court.php http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_co...
lukashed 13y ago
For German residents there's http://geblitzt.com http://geblitzt.com - though it doesn't have an app. And it's not just for parking tickets but also for speeding tickets and such.
CalRobert 13y ago
How about a refund for my taxes that supported an asphalt wasteland while I spent years living in a suburban hellhole? Parking tickets are issued because you don't have a right to unlimited free automobile storage. Hell, why can't I park a hot tub in front of my house in the same spot? Would be a lot more fun.
- eli 13y ago
  Taxes don't really work that way, but I generally agree with you. Vote at the ballot box.
jamesk_au 13y ago
For those interested in reading about this, there were some good comments in the previous HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7066079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7066079
rayiner 13y ago
Driving is bullshit. Just everything about it: expensive, inconvenient, and a backdoor to reduced rights (search * seizure, etc) and run-ins with the legal system. Think about it: if you're a typical middle class person, when is the only time you ever have a run in with the law? I lived three years without driving in Chicago. I don't think I ever even talked to a cop in that time, and if I did it must've been pleasant and forgettable (I think beat cops with patrols of nice neighborhoods tend to be chill). I move to PA/DE and have to commute to work, and boom: in the space of a few months I've got three parking tickets, and stress to update my {registration, insurance, license plate} to avoid further run ins with the law. I can't wait to move back to somewhere I can commute by train and leave this bullshit behind me.
smackfu 13y ago
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/tech/mobile/fixed-app-parking-tickets/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/tech/mobile/fixed-app-parking-... "If the motorist thinks they have a case, the app will prompt them to capture any additional photographic evidence with their phone and then digitally sign a letter. Fixed has contracted with a team of legal researchers fluent in local traffic laws who will review each case before printing out the letter and submitting it via snail mail to the city." Here's the form, now you don't need the app: http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/2013%20AR%20PROTEST%20FORM.pdf http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/2013%20AR%20PR... The legal researchers job is probably just to sanity check that people aren't submitting complete junk, like penis photos.
tn13 13y ago
Excellent Idea. - Pros : * This might lead to more people challenging their parking tickets. * Those who give tickets will be forced to think twice before giving a ticket. * Since enforcement people need to complete a fixed quota of revenue through parking tickets they will have to issue more tickets per day than before purely because more of them will get contested. This will mean people will have to take extra precautions while parking their car because probability of ticket has gone up. - Cons: * If too many people start contesting then the authorities(court) may simply take a hard stand and the ratio of cancelled tickets/challenged tickets may go down. This may hurt many genuine "I did not do anything wrong" people.

51 points by lbr 13y ago

Zikes 13y ago

I can't find anything on their site that lists what cities are supported, but I'm pretty sure it's Bay Area only. I totally understand that, it'd just be nice to see it in a FAQ or something.

smackfu 13y ago
Even if you download the app, it's not clear. It has an "Availability Check" and you enter your ZIP Code, then it puts you the waiting list. Which is the same whether you put in a Bay Area ZIP or a Bumfuck USA ZIP.
biturd 13y ago
If you contest a ticket and the officer does not show up you win a default judgement. Perhaps they are playing on the fact that unless they are on duty on the scheduled date, they are probably not showing up at court.
- jrs235 13y ago
  Many jurisdictions will pay officers to appear and many don't factor appearing into their budgets/schedules, so the officers are paid at overtime rates (time and a half). Many officer's don't mind having to appear... they make bank and many pensions are based on the three years of highest revenue (this is a method officers abuse in Wisconsin... they will work as much OT as they can for three years especially near retirement, since the legislature hasn't bothered fixing/forcing pensions to be based on 40 hours / week.)
- pfranz 13y ago
  Mirroring what jrs235 said, I've also heard officers schedule court appearances all together so it's more convenient for them to show up.
- smackfu 13y ago
  I doubt it makes financial sense for them to do anything at all past an initial letter contesting the ticket. If they get it dismissed, they make 25%. Otherwise they walk away and say "sorry, we tried."

robbiet480 13y ago

Can I get an invite? me@robbiet.us. Need to invite my roommates, who both have a few tickets they need to get fixed.

joshred 13y ago

If this gets popular, the courts will just change how they handle challenges.

MichaelApproved 13y ago
In what way can they change the process?
- ars 13y ago
  They can charge to fight a ticket. Boston does that: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/07/controversial_ticket_appeal_fees_to_have_sjc_hearing/ http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011... In Boston parking tickets are not about doing something wrong, or trying to curb behavior. They are basically a backdoor tax on the residents.
  - Karunamon 13y ago
    Seems unconstitutional/illegal to me. While a layperson might not be able to fight it, a company who's business model is based on it might definitely be in a better position.
- fwenzel 13y ago
  They can also lean towards rejecting almost any challenge entered by a system like this one. Conveniently, where I live, if you enter your argument by mail you are waiving your right to a trial, and they won't even reply to you unless you win (in which case you get some money back and it's obvious you won).

smackfu 13y ago

>No fee to contest: We charge 25% of the fine if you win. You have nothing to lose. Except that you are assuming they are better at contesting tickets than you.

OscarCunningham 13y ago
Most people don't know anything in particular about contesting a parking fine. But it's literally these people's job. Also, note the incentives are the right way round: they get paid only if they win.
- smackfu 13y ago
  They're pretty much just taking the data you enter in the app, printing it on the SF MTA protest form, giving it a quick read, and mailing it in.

darklajid 13y ago

I'm confused. Why? Are we talking "I didn't do anything wrong" tickets, stuff that is unfair but hard to fight? Or is this about "I park wherever I want and try to avoid the consequences"? So far it seems that most of the customers are of the latter variety. While I understand the motivation to act like an asshole, this service empowers .. assholes? We're regularly discussing if free apps (downward spiral) or free content (adblockers) are okay. But free parking is fine, right?

smackfu 13y ago
The reasons they show in the screenshot seem more like the former. "Meter broken", "Curb paint faded", "Missing signs". But I don't see how they can contest those things without proof, and getting proof seems like it would be rather expensive. Pay one person to go out and take a photo and your profits are gone.
- darklajid 13y ago
  Quite frankly, the first one is the only one I believe in, but then again I'm from a country far, far away and all that. Meter broken? Happens. Curb paint faded? Doesn't apply here (That's something that works a little different), but I have a hard time seeing that being a _common_ reason. Really. Common sense and remains of paint would probably be enough. Missing signs: Seems to be too big of a deal. In my world there's no way you can hand out tickets without having signs in place. You'd be contested again and again even without this service and would stop that behavior - or put up signs. This is not a temporary failure or a result of decay. And then there's the 'meter times unclear' or 'other' part. Again, if this is trying to fight unfair tickets I'm a huge fan. It just doesn't look like that and the comments here seem to be mostly 'Yeah, where do I sign up to get that ticket removed'. I .. park where I'm allowed to park, search a parking spot if I'm not sure OR (last time: 2 weeks back) risk a ticket and pay it if I get one. I guess I lack the empathy for people that have a different way here..
  - techsupporter 13y ago
    For San Francisco (the city in the screenshot and the only city that ever seems to matter when getting app-based startups), the rule is that parking at a broken meter is still very much valid. Same goes for where I live and everywhere I've lived and tried to park in multiple places in the U.S. I suspect this is half an enforcement problem (doesn't look good in the papers, "City Tows People Parked at Busted Meters") and part not denying use of a parking spot just because the one pay box is busted. Broken meters are one reason why cities in the U.S. are going to parking time window stickers and fewer pay boxes. As for things like faded curb paint and missing signs and so on, that's not an excuse the operator of the vehicle can use. Even if there's no red curb paint here, you're still not allowed to park within 30 feet of an intersection (on the direction-of-travel side) or 10 feet of a fireplug or 5 feet of a driveway. Those are all things you're expected to know by virtue of having a driver license. Now, being ticketed for being over-time on a free parking stretch that's limited to 2 hours when the sign has gone missing might be one thing, but the folks around here put up so many signs in so many places, I think a person would have a hard time making that stand up. Ultimately: if someone isn't sure and wants to not risk incurring the fine, he or she shouldn't leave a hunk of metal and plastic sitting on the public right-of-way.

teddyh 13y ago

The title and page seem to imply that parking tickets inherently are something which need fixing. As if their very existence was a blight upon the world. If you agree, might I suggest you go into politics or perhaps traffic planning?

dnautics 13y ago
most people agree that tickets are something which need fixing[0], but you make 'going into politics' sound so easy. Maybe we all think that local politics are institutions rife with internal corruption and are essentially a club of elites? Why not try to push change on them a different way? [0]http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_court.php http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_co...
- teddyh 13y ago
  When I said “go into politics”, I did not necessarily mean to become a politician. I meant to make political change – to go after the problem on the political level, however that may be. There are many kinds of “politicians”, just as war is merely a continuation of politics by other means.

jrs235 13y ago

"Up to 50% of tickets are dismissed when challenged." There is probably a high number (half according to them) of tickets that get dismissed because of selection bias. Tickets [that have been] challenged are probably challenged because they have a good chance of being dismissed due to reasonable issue. Challenging more [random] tickets will probably cause this number to fall.

jjallen 13y ago

Won't cities adapt to fight this the more tickets are challenged? They'll say something like: "Oh, this same attorney is fighting hundreds of tickets? We're going to require more evidence to reverse these tickets". They'll put up walls and/or make something about this service illegal. And yes agree that many people will abuse this and fight every ticket regardless of the validity which will cause cities to push back like I mentioned above. Seems like a tenuous business model.

Zigurd 13y ago
Businesses that make lots of deliveries already use services that dispute tickets. This is just aggregating retail customers for those services.

27182818284 13y ago

A broken meter is a valid reason in other cities? Huh. Every parking meter around here specifically says if it is broken you can't use it. People are ticketed accordingly if they park there.

fixermark 13y ago
So in the region you're describing, the government would rather deprive people entirely of a shared resource than risk the resource be shared without regulation (and money to the government coffers). Unless they had some kind of rash of people breaking meters that they're reacting to, I'm calling shenanigans on that law. In fact, if they haven't had a _recent_ rash... I'm still calling shenanigans.
- pfranz 13y ago
  A few years ago there was an exposé on valets in LA intentionally breaking meters to control parking. I wouldn't be surprised if it still happens. A few months ago tighter regulations on valets went into effect (not sure how well those have been enforced, though). http://consumerist.com/2009/10/01/hidden-cameras-catch-la-valets-breaking-all-kinds-of-laws/ http://consumerist.com/2009/10/01/hidden-cameras-catch-la-va...
smackfu 13y ago
>If a meter is broken you are allowed to park at that meter for the posted time limit, but please report it! http://sfmta.com/ru/services/streets-sidewalks/maintenance-requests/broken-meter http://sfmta.com/ru/services/streets-sidewalks/maintenance-r... Although apparently that's not quite true, since there's another rule that says it is two hours max.
eli 13y ago
It's legal to park at a broken meter in DC, but I think you have to call in and report it as broken first and I wouldn't be surprised if you get a ticket anyway (especially if the meter isn't obviously broken). I would imagine this leads to a lot of intentionally broken meters.
13y ago

dnautics 13y ago

emanating from LA is a court challenge that may decide that parking penalties are excessive. This would be a statewide ruling (it's in the state courts IIRC). If, say, parking tickets were curbed at "treble damages", wouldn't this hurt this business' model? http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_court.php http://laist.com/2014/02/26/local_heroes_are_taking_la_to_co...

lukashed 13y ago

For German residents there's http://geblitzt.com http://geblitzt.com - though it doesn't have an app. And it's not just for parking tickets but also for speeding tickets and such.

CalRobert 13y ago

How about a refund for my taxes that supported an asphalt wasteland while I spent years living in a suburban hellhole? Parking tickets are issued because you don't have a right to unlimited free automobile storage. Hell, why can't I park a hot tub in front of my house in the same spot? Would be a lot more fun.

eli 13y ago
Taxes don't really work that way, but I generally agree with you. Vote at the ballot box.

jamesk_au 13y ago

For those interested in reading about this, there were some good comments in the previous HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7066079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7066079

rayiner 13y ago

Driving is bullshit. Just everything about it: expensive, inconvenient, and a backdoor to reduced rights (search * seizure, etc) and run-ins with the legal system. Think about it: if you're a typical middle class person, when is the only time you ever have a run in with the law? I lived three years without driving in Chicago. I don't think I ever even talked to a cop in that time, and if I did it must've been pleasant and forgettable (I think beat cops with patrols of nice neighborhoods tend to be chill). I move to PA/DE and have to commute to work, and boom: in the space of a few months I've got three parking tickets, and stress to update my {registration, insurance, license plate} to avoid further run ins with the law. I can't wait to move back to somewhere I can commute by train and leave this bullshit behind me.

smackfu 13y ago

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/tech/mobile/fixed-app-parking-tickets/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/20/tech/mobile/fixed-app-parking-... "If the motorist thinks they have a case, the app will prompt them to capture any additional photographic evidence with their phone and then digitally sign a letter. Fixed has contracted with a team of legal researchers fluent in local traffic laws who will review each case before printing out the letter and submitting it via snail mail to the city." Here's the form, now you don't need the app: http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/2013%20AR%20PROTEST%20FORM.pdf http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/2013%20AR%20PR... The legal researchers job is probably just to sanity check that people aren't submitting complete junk, like penis photos.

tn13 13y ago

Excellent Idea. - Pros : * This might lead to more people challenging their parking tickets. * Those who give tickets will be forced to think twice before giving a ticket. * Since enforcement people need to complete a fixed quota of revenue through parking tickets they will have to issue more tickets per day than before purely because more of them will get contested. This will mean people will have to take extra precautions while parking their car because probability of ticket has gone up. - Cons: * If too many people start contesting then the authorities(court) may simply take a hard stand and the ratio of cancelled tickets/challenged tickets may go down. This may hurt many genuine "I did not do anything wrong" people.