Meet the SafetyStick: Smarter Parking Enforcement
City introduces automated system to keep cars out of bike lanes and other no-parking zones.
The City has installed automated SafetySticks to monitor no-parking zones Downtown and on bike lanes citywide.
SafetySticks are new AI-powered safety devices that monitor parking violations. If a car is detected in a no-parking zone by a SafetytStick, a citation will be mailed to the registered owner’s home with a photo of the violation. About 60 locations around the city were picked with both local input, input from bicycle advocates, and data from our Vision Zero program.
“Too often we get calls about cars blocking bike lanes and bus stops, or sitting in no-parking zones,” said Director of the General Services Department Nathan Martinez. “These will help remind people that when we say ’no parking,’ we mean it.”
How it Works:
- SafetySticks take pictures of license plates.
- Violations are checked digitally and by a human parking officer.
- Citations are issued.
- The registered owner receives a parking ticket in the mail.
- Fines vary, and unpaid tickets can result in a parking warrant.
The technology allows parking staff to spend less time circling blocks and more time focusing on customer service, accessibility, and safety, especially in bike lanes and fire zones. Enforcement will begin Feb. 17 with warnings, and starting March18 anyone who illegally parks in a zone monitored by SafetySticks will be ticketed.
“This is not about more fines, it’s about keeping fire lanes, bike lanes and other prohibited areas clear,” said Parking Division Manager Maria Griego. “We have no-parking zones for a reason, and that’s safety.”
SafetySticks feature solar-powered cameras with radar that can detect when a vehicle is parked illegally. When a car stops for longer than 90 seconds in a zone monitored by SafetySticks, the devices take a picture of a car’s license plate. The photos is relayed to a parking enforcement officer, who will sign off on the violation and send a ticket to the car’s registered owner.
As a reminder, nobody should park on a yellow curb, a red curb, or in a bike lane.
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