No more parking fines in Grosseto could become a reality. Officials are trying to interpret new directives sent from the Ministry amending current practices. Up until now, a car found with an out of date parking ticket would receive a fine. According to the Ministry of Transport, the penalty should be limited to only covering the excess time not originally paid for. The Ministry states that this, so called, tariff evasion does not breach the Highway Code.
The parking disc method, previously used, was ineffective, as motorists would simply return to their vehicle to change the start time. The director of Grosseto parking, Alberto Paolini, commented that ‘It is an interpretation of the law which takes a step backwards. Paid parking is considered to be a way of penalising motorists, when in actual fact it is a system implemented to discourage long term parking in areas where this causes problems. The issue with this newly proposed method arises when a traffic warden finds an expired parking ticket; how can he know how much longer the vehicle will be sitting there in order to present the correct penalty?’
Nevertheless, it appears that most motorists will now be able to avoid the 25 euro fine if they simply pay the difference between the cost of their parking ticket and the excess for their overstay. The city councillor for the local police force, Arsenio Carosi, added, ‘It seems difficult to enforce an idea, therefore we will have to lay down more precise rules. At the moment, we are a little lost. Nonetheless, we are taking the necessary steps to improve the system.’
