Single Fire Hydrant Nets NYC $33,000 a Year

Re:Single Fire Hydrant Nets NYC $33,000 a Year by ryandrake on Thursday July 06, 2023 @02:40PM (#36620771)

> A large portion of the money collected should go to a department whose goal is to find further ways to discourage the problematic behaviour. Paint the curb bright red, for starters.

That would not really align incentives. If a particular action (parking next to a fire hydrant) produced revenue for that department, they will be financially incentivized to encourage more of that action, not less of it.

If the government lost money rather than gained money when someone did something naughty, then maybe they'd work to try to reduce that naughty behavior.

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Re:Single Fire Hydrant Nets NYC $33,000 a Year by johnmaguire on Thursday July 06, 2023 @02:57PM (#36621006)

In Royal Oak, MI, the city recently contracted Municipal Parking Services, a Minnesota-based company, to install a new parking system which reads plates and automatically issues fines after a 5-minute grace period (mailed to your house.) The system is a bit confusing and unexpected to visitors.

A DDA study determined that 43% of visitors were being fined.

As a result of getting ticketed, I've heard many people in Michigan say they won't visit Royal Oak anymore.

So I guess that's one way to discentivize yourself.

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Re:Single Fire Hydrant Nets NYC $33,000 a Year by unethical_ban on Thursday July 06, 2023 @03:05PM (#36621144)

Alternatively, such a department might not be funded by the fines, but merely funded at a flat rate, like an auditor.

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