“The City Is Woefully Unable to Handle Even the Basics”

What used to be accomplished with the click of a button now requires multiple trips to the courthouse and months of waiting.

In September, Denver County Court shut down an online portal that had allowed residents to challenge parking citations virtually. The portal’s closing coincided with the closure of the city’s Parking Magistrate’s Office, after the court laid off all of its magistrates due to major citywide budget cuts. The parking magistrates were in charge of reviewing online disputes and deciding the outcomes.

Now, if a vehicle is wrongfully ticketed, the driver must go to the Denver City and County Building during business hours to request a hearing before a judicial officer, then return for an in-person hearing. And as Hannah Metzger reported, as of May 5, the earliest available hearing date was August 10.

In their comments on the Westword Facebook post of the news, readers cite the city for numerous violations. Says Jacob:

Aren’t trials supposed to be speedy to prevent using delay as a pressure tactic to coerce guilty pleas?

Responds Greg:

The goal is to discourage disputing tickets.

Adds Jill:

And collect parking revenue.

Explains Porsche:

The goal is to make more money and create more billable hours behind petty fines. They don’t give AF if you dispute it as long as someone getting paid is dealing with it.

Suggests Aaron:

And hear me out, but the one magic trick that 100 percent works every time to avoid these, avoid shopping downtown altogether

Notes Michael:

The city is woefully unable to handle even the basics. The streets are a mess, the potholes are multiplying, the zombies are everywhere, and there are beggars on street corners. Yet, there will be no change until it hurts too much not to.

And Jeff concludes:

Wow, Westword finally picked up a story worth something.

Have you tried to fight a parking ticket lately? What was your experience? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.