A PEO Scanned Your License Plate — That Doesn’t Mean You’re Getting a Ticket
Sometimes our minds can play dirty tricks on us with false assumptions. If your TV doesn’t turn on, you might assume it’s broken — but it turns out to be unplugged. If your vehicle’s check engine light turns on, one might think something is catastrophically wrong with the engine when it was just a loose gas cap.
You get the gist — sometimes our minds just assume the worst when in reality, there’s no issue at all. So it’s no surprise that when you see one of our Parking Enforcement Officers scanning a license plate, your mind may automatically jump to the conclusion, “Oh great, I’m getting a ticket.”
Guess what? That’s not necessarily the case despite it being an understandable assumption.
Long story short: When our officers scan license plates, that doesn’t automatically mean a ticket will be issued. In fact, there are multiple reasons license plates are scanned, which we highlight below.
Confirming Payment:
Ever park on the street and make payment at our pay-by-plate kiosks or through our widely popular mobile payment app, meterUP? Our officers scan license plates to verify if a vehicle fed the meter. If a vehicle is verified as paid, no ticket will be issued.
TIP: When making meter payments, ensure you correctly enter the license plate number and select the correct parking zone. More details on that here.
Confirming Active Parking Permits:
Does your vehicle have one of the below permits?
- Residential Parking Permit
- Temporary Parking Permit
- Scooter/Motorcycle Corral Permit
- Contractor Parking Permit
Guess what? All the permits mentioned above — they’re virtual. Similar to confirming payments, our officers also scan license plates to verify if the vehicle has an active permit. A ticket will not be issued if the vehicle has a valid permit for the parking location.
Vehicle Timing:
Ever park in a (time-limited) loading zone? How about a street with residential parking permit time limits, but your vehicle doesn’t have a permit?
For the above scenarios, our officers need to keep track of the time a vehicle parks. While on patrol, our officers note the time and license plate when they initially see the vehicle, then continue their patrol. A ticket will not be issued if the vehicle doesn’t park past the time limit noted on posted signs.
So the next time you see one of our Parking Enforcement Officers scanning your license plate, just remember: that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re receiving a parking ticket.
Questions?
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CUSTOMER REMINDER: PPA Strongly Discourages Use of Third-Party Payment Platforms
When paying outstanding balances to the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), we strongly encourage customers to use official PPA payment methods.
Customers who use third-party payment platforms have reported delayed payments and high fees. These delays prevent timely retrieval of vehicles after payment or cause additional enforcement.
When paying at www.philapark.org, payments are instantly applied and can stop enforcement action immediately. We urge customers to choose their online payment options carefully.
Payments made on third-party sites may cost our customers a lot more and may not process to their accounts for 24 to 48 hours. Unfortunately, this may result in late penalties and delays in releasing an impounded vehicle.
The PPA provides four (4) official methods to make payments. Those payment options include:
- Online: www.philapark.org
- Via Phone: 1-888-591-3636
- Via Mail: City of Philadelphia, Parking Violations Branch, P.O. Box 41818 Philadelphia, PA 19101
- In-person: 913 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
July 2022: Regular Board Meeting
On Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s Board met for its monthly board meeting.
The meeting agenda, along with the Board approved motions, can be found here.
PPA Attends Senator Streets Community Baby Shower
On Saturday, July 9th, the Philadelphia Parking Authority was a proud participant in Senator Sharif Street’s community baby shower for families and expecting parents.
“It is critical we support families in real and measurable ways,” said Senator Street “Following a surge of newborns during the pandemic, my wife, April, brainstormed ways in which we could support new and expecting parents. We decided that a Community Baby Shower would be impactful, uplifting, and positive for many families struggling. I’m proud to join our sponsors in convening an event with over 40 vendors providing all the essentials for newborns and new parents, including critical resources for prenatal care.”
Interested in having the PPA attend one of your community events?
Click the button below!
International Parking & Mobility Institute’s Marketing & Communications Award – 2022
In January 2020, the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), in conjunction with Verra Mobility and the Vision Zero Project, introduced an automated speed enforcement pilot program whose purpose it was to promote safe driving on Roosevelt Boulevard, which had earned the reputation as the city’s most dangerous road. Eight cameras to detect speeding vehicles were installed at strategic intersections.
Raising public awareness was crucial to achieving program goals. PPA’s public engagement team developed a communications strategy that would accomplish this goal across multiple media outlets. Marketing materials included informational brochures and infographics with statistics regarding aggressive drivers and accidents. Video content was created, and social media was leveraged. The press also played a big role: over a 10-day period, there were a total of 79 curated stories, with 60 directly related to the automated speed camera program.
The focused outreach efforts led to major changes in behavior and pilot program success. During the first month of the warning period, PPA mailed 224,206 violation warnings, resulting in drivers slowing down and a 93% decrease in violation issuance. During the first month of fined violations, violations decreased to 84,608. During the fiscal year 2021, issued violations decreased from 224,206 in June to 38,660 in November 2020.
Regular Board Meeting: July 2022
Due to the public health impact and concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak and in light of recommendations by public health officials, the Authority’s Regular Board Meeting scheduled for 10:00 a.m., on July 19, 2022, offers both in-person or virtual attendance via Microsoft Teams webinar. You may register to attend the Board meeting virtually here.
Public comment will be accepted and considered. Anyone wishing to make comment at the June Regular Board Meeting must contact Lauren Gallen at LGallen@philapark.org. All such emails and requests must be received by Ms. Gallen on or before July 18, 2022, to be considered for the meeting.
Taxicab and Limousine Division Fee Schedule FY 2023
To All Interested Parties:
The Taxicab and Limousine Division’s Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2022, which began on July 1, 2022 and ends through June 30, 2023, is attached for your reference:
The Fiscal Year 2023 Fee Schedule became effective on July 7, 2022. All applicable assessment notices will be sent to all certificate holders by email under separate cover.