Pocono News Section

I-TEAM: Parking Meter Problems

I-TEAM: Parking Meter Problems - Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 6:20PM EST

Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 @ 06:20pm EST
WEST HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY --So far this year hundreds of parking meters in our area failed state inspection but the I-Team has found some of those bad meters or some that weren't inspected at all are still operating. Consumer and I-Team reporter Jeff Chirico here with what you should look out for.

Parking meters are a source of revenue for many towns but they must pass inspection by the state before they're put on the street. However the I-Team has found some meters are operating even though there's no guarantee you're getting the time you paid for.

A dozen parking meters line the curbs along West Broad and Green Streets in West Hazleton. Only two have the proper dime-sized seal of state certification. According to the state Department of Agriculture the other 9 are in violation of the law. Marlene Balliet who works in West Hazleton “sounds like someone should be looked into and doing their job."

In March, state inspectors checked the borough's 114 parking meters --27 failed.

In nearby Freeland, “unfortunately there was quite a bit that failed.” The state says 81 of the 175 meters here didn't work right--that's nearly half. Since the borough didn't have money to fix them, dozens of meters were removed from the side streets. "So are you saying all the rest have stickers on them, are inspected properly and are ok? Yes. Definitely." But the I-Team has found at least a half dozen on Centre Street lack a seal. Parking enforcement officer Tom McDowell believes the stickers must have fallen off. "Everyone has been done as of March."

Back in West Hazleton --borough councilman Bob Bugaiski says the 9 meters we found had been fixed since failing this year's inspection. “The one's you have here are repaired? Yes. But not inspected. No not inspected. So if they weren't inspected why would the borough put them back out on streets without state's approval? I'm not sure why they were put out but I do know that this area had cars parked all day and night."

The I-Team contacted the borough about the 9 meters. Within hours, the borough had removed the nine meters like this one on Broad Street." Councilman Bugaiski says he doesn't think anyone's been ticketed improperly because the attendant doesn't patrol this area. But even if someone received a ticket at an uninspected meter, state officials tell the I-Team, he or she could challenge it in court and likely win.

The borough of Freeland says they're out some 17 thousand dollars this year over last because of the dozens of meters they took off the street.