SafetySticks go live in Pottsville
POTTSVILLE — The SafetySticks devices intended to curb illegal parking finally went live Friday in the city.
They were installed in December but were not activated because the police chief and mayor objected to use of a law enforcement access code needed to view license plates.
The parking authority instead will use its own code, which has been approved by the SafetyStick vendor, Municipal Parking Services Inc., based in Texas.
Nine SafetySticks have been deployed near intersections, as approved by police, around the downtown area. The devices notify the authority if anyone parks in a prohibited area — designated with yellow curb lines and signs — for longer than 15 minutes.
The violator receives a $35 ticket. If not paid within 30 days, it goes to the magisterial district court level and, with $48.50 in costs and a state Judicial Computerization Project fee of $33.25, rises to $116.75.
“I hope people will obey the law,” Ian Lipton, executive director of the Pottsville Parking Authority, said Friday.
He believes the public has had enough time to know about the devices, which are 41½ inches tall and have radar for vehicle detection and a high-definition camera to capture images of vehicles entering and exiting a parking area.
MPS — which charged the city nothing for the devices or their installation — gets 40% of the $35 from each ticket, while the authority receives 60%.
As to those who violate the 15-minute parking rule, “It’s my feeling they aren’t interested in safety,” Lipton said.
