RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--The mere thought of finding a ticket on the windshield for parking too far from the curb has city resident Sally Rollins ready to square off with city leaders.
"I have a problem with that I mean come one now," she said.
Rollins believes it’s just a useless expense city taxpayers don’t need.
"It looks like the city is always looking for somewhere to make some more money," she said.
Newly elected city councilman Parker Agelasto says the measure is just common sense. If it passes council, his ordinance would give city police the authority to fine a driver $20 for parking more than 12 inches from the curb.
"It's a matter of people understanding what their responsibilities are when they park their car," said Agelasto.
Agelasto is pushing the ordinance because he says citizens have urged him to. Besides that, he believes it will prevent cars blocking the right of way for traffic and reduce hit and run accidents. Some Richmond drivers think the bad parking is often just a matter of laziness.
"We need that, it's called organization and if we don’t have it, we're just going to be reckless," said city driver Joseph Ruffin.
"It will keep people in line and keep them closer to the curb, yeah it's a good thing," said resident Scott Palmer.
But some council members say that's not enough to get their vote in favor of it.
"How do you find out if you're exactly 12 inches from the curb, are you supposed to get out of your car and look at it and measure it?," asked councilwoman Reva Trammel.
Agelasto says it's meant to be a motivator.
"Take the additional time and try to do a good job parallel parking versus just leaving it as it is," he said.
