The wheel boot, a groan-inducing sight for motorists in other cities, will hit the outer boroughs as soon as Monday, the Daily News has learned.
The city is planning to boot ticket scofflaws by the end of June, a city official confirmed Wednesday. The three- to six-month pilot program will begin in Brooklyn, then Queens and Staten Island and will be eventually rolled out citywide.
“We look forward to seeing how this pilot [program] progresses because booting could be a better collection tool, both more convenient for motorists and a potential deterrent for future violators,” a spokeswoman for the city Finance Department said in an email.
The city marshals usually tow parking ticket offenders when they exceed $350 in fines, but they will not be participating in the boot program, citing concerns over how it will be operated, according to a representative from the city Marshals Association.
The marshals will continue their tow program, though they will be working in different parts of the borough.
The Bloomberg administration approved the $70 million no-bid deal with the boot’s operator, a company known as Paylock, two months ago, The News reported in April.
Under the new plan, a city sheriff will verify that a car has more than $350 in judgements, then authorize Paylock employees to attach the wheel clamp, a.k.a. a boot. The motorist can then call a toll-free number to pay the fees over the phone. Paylock will then give a code to release the lock. Drivers can also pay in cash at designated payment centers.
In addition to the ticket fines, a motorist will pay a $180 “boot fee,” a $70 city fee and a 5% surcharge on the total bill. There is also a fee for paying with a credit card.
A driver who owes $355 in judgements would pay about $300 in fees — which is comparable to how much they would shell out under the current system of being towed.
Drivers must also return the boot.
If the motorist doesn’t pay within two days, however, the booted car will then be towed, and the owner will be charged both the $180 boot fee and an additional $185 towing fee.
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2 Responses
This is long overdue. There are some areas where cars are routinely illegally parked and block in other cars and crosswalks or in front of firehydrants. I’m sure other readers could suggest the “best locations” for the traffic agents to begin their work when they start booting but clearly a few of the big simcha halls in the evenings and outside of a few well known kosher markets and mikvahs, expecially erev shabbos when the violations are at their worse would be a great start. Some drivers feel an entitlement to simply pull up as close as they can get to the front door and run inside in the arrogant belief that what they are doing is l’shem mitvah and therefore should be excused. Maybe having their cars booted with a $500 fine will teach them a lesson.
Godol Hador, you have a very good complaint, but it is not subject to a boot. the owner of the booted vehicle must be $355.00 in arrears in fines, first. If they booted every double-parked car in Brooklyn I pity every driver who parked legally at the curb.