Written by SAM GARRETT
The Blowing Rock police department has been investigating possible solutions to help with the enforcement of parking violations for over a year. They determined that they needed to hire parking attendants and invest in new technology to monitor and enforce parking violations.
“Our parking enforcement began earnestly in mid-August of this year when we hired two part-time parking enforcement officers, so now we have coverage every day of the week year round,” Police Chief Nathan Kirk said.
Along with hiring two parking enforcement officers the Blowing Rock Police Department partnered with T2 Parking Solutions. T2 provided both software and equipment.
“The device from T2 Solutions allows our parking enforcement to digital chalk now based off of the tire stem position and has an internal clock counting down the time once the digital chalk is captured,” Kirk said. “The device also has a built-in printer for the citations and internal GPS so we can monitor the parking enforcement routes and activity.”
When a citation is written, the enforcement officer is expected to take a minimum of three pictures of the vehicle; one will be displayed on the citation and any additional will be displayed on the patron portal when the violator goes to pay the citation. The update allows a transition from handwritten tickets to a more streamlined and efficient way of issuing parking citations. The new process includes a digital payment method that was not an option in the past, which allows patrons to pay by phone, website or scanning a QR code.
“The biggest improvement is the ability to pay with a credit or debit card, which was one of our biggest complaints in the past,” Kirk said. “This is the culmination of countless parking meetings and council meetings to help mitigate the parking issues in town.”
Moving forward, Town Hall and the Blowing Rock Police Department will not be accepting checks for ticket payment. All payments will be processed through the new parking portal.
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