NYC Booting Pilot Program Begins Targeting Ticket Scofflaws In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Drivers who fail to pay their parking tickets are about to face a new penalty as the city begins its booting pilot program on Monday.
The city is testing out the boot program for the next three to six months with the hope that it will be more convenient for everyone. But some already want to give the boot to the boot, calling it unfair for drivers.
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports
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The boot program will begin in Brooklyn, but all five boroughs could soon see them. The city will clamp down on Queens and Staten Island drivers in the next 3 to 6 months.
"Right now you come out, your car is not there, it's towed, you're in a panic. You have no idea what's happened to it. Now you come out, there's your car," Commissioner of Finance David Frankel told CBS 2's Weijia Jiang.
Those who owe more $350 in outstanding tickets will get the boot, which locks a wheel making it impossible to move the car.
WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Story
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Drivers can then call a toll-free number to pay fines over the phone in exchange for a code that will release the boot. But drivers will also have to pay a $180 boot fee, $70 to the city and a five percent surcharge.
Once you've been booted, you have two days to pay or the car will be towed, which will cost another $185. Once you remove the boot, you also have 24 hours to drop it off at a designated garage or make arrangements for the city to pick it up.
The fines and fees all add up fast, which why representatives from the Marshals Office are publicly criticizing the program. The say it's too expensive for drivers who can't pay right away.
"It's a lot of money. Seems like cities are getting revenues from people's cars and I think it's unfair," said Brooklyn resident Jerry Bembry.
If you cut, break or damage the boot in any way, you'll have to pay $500 and you be prosecuted for destruction of property. On top of that, you could ruin your tire.
For more information about the booting program, click here.
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