Hamilton drivers picked up more than 143,000 parking tickets last year, according to the city.
Data obtained by CBC Hamilton shows 90,444 different licence plates account for the 143,134 tickets, which means there were some repeat offenders — including one licence plate that received 103 parking tickets.
“That is certainly an anomaly,” James Buffett, manager of parking enforcement and school safety, told CBC Hamilton.
“It’s quite common to have a vehicle with multiple tickets to it, but that is the only vehicle that was in the triple digits … there are far cheaper ways to park in the city.”
The more than 143,000 tickets doled out in 2023 is the highest since at least 2018.
Buffet said part of that increase is because Impark, the city’s contractor for foot patrol parking enforcement, had less turnover last year. That means there were more people looking for parking infractions.
Buffet also cited more people using their vehicles since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find out if your street is among top 20 with most tickets
The top street for parking infractions was King Street West, with 6,963 tickets. That street alone saw the city getting $288,081 in parking ticket payments.
Most other top streets are in the lower city, with the exception of one.
King Street East had 3,747 parking tickets, James Street North had 2,905 tickets, Concession Street had 2,673 tickets and King William Street had 2,559 tickets.
Buffet noted most hot spots for parking tickets are business improvement areas or near those areas.
King Street West and East are also some of the city’s longest streets, said Buffet.
A screenshot of city data offers a glimpse of where other tickets have been issued around the city.
The top three reasons for parking tickets last year were:
- Park at expired parking meter (21,936 tickets).
- Unauthorized parking — private property (19,051 tickets).
- Park exceeding signed parking time limit (18,343 tickets).
City waiting on $2.6M in unpaid tickets in 2023
Parking tickets range from $25 to $350, with the weighted average being roughly $45, according to the city.
Buffet said as of April 30, the city got almost $6.3 million from parking tickets and $6.2 million from paid parking in 2023 — but was also waiting on $2.6 million in unpaid parking tickets issued in 2023.
He said the amount the city is waiting on changes as people renew their licence plates.
There’s a $30 fee for people who don’t pay or dispute the ticket within 15 days, a $45 fee for people who don’t pay or dispute within 45 days and a $131 fee for people who set a hearing date to fight the ticket but don’t attend.
For anyone who hasn’t paid a ticket in 75 days, there’s an extra $15 fee and the province won’t renew your licence plate until your ticket is paid.
Buffet noted there’s been an increase in the amount owed in unpaid tickets since 2020.
In 2022, the provincial government scrapped vehicle licence plate renewal fees and the requirement for drivers to have a licence plate sticker effective.
“We believe drivers think there is no registration program as opposed to a free one,” Buffet said, adding that the money is slowly trickling in.
In February of this year, the government said it intends to end the requirement for drivers to re-register their licence plates online each year, with the process being done automatically instead.
What can you do if you get a ticket?
Buffet recommends people use the city’s parking app to pay for parking rather than digging around their wallet or vehicle for change.
Matthew Hazel, owner of Ticket Shield, a traffic ticket defence company, previously said people have a few options when they get a parking ticket.
They can pay for their ticket. They can try to get the fee reduced or they can request a hearing date to fight the ticket.
Hazel said parking tickets don’t impact insurance rates and won’t lead to demerit points.
“That comes as a relief to people who call,” he said.
“The best result you’ll likely be able to achieve unless you think you’ve been wrongfully accused is likely a reduction in the fine.”
Hazel added the cost of getting a lawyer or paralegal is generally more expensive than the ticket itself.
“In many instances, it makes sense to just pay it, unless you feel you’ve been wrongfully accused,” he said.
“Beyond that, the lesson is probably not to re-offend and park in the same spot.”