PITTSBURGH — Just last week, 11 Investigates introduced you to a woman who used the city’s mobile app to pay to park and was ticketed anyway.
Another driver has come forward after seeing our exclusive report.
It cost her a quarter to park, but turned into a $25 fine!
Chief Investigator Rick Earle has been following these parking problems in the City of Pittsburgh and spoke with another driver who says she paid to park, but was ticketed anyway.
She says it happened on two different occasions, both times she says she paid to park and each time got a ticket in the mail.
“I got both tickets consecutively, like in January, from December, saying that I had parking tickets you didn’t pay. Meanwhile, I knew I paid.”
Earle: You paid and you still got a ticket?
Answer: “Yes, these new cameras that they are double-dipping the system.”
This woman, who didn’t want to be identified because of her job, says she got two parking tickets on the 2700 block of East Carson Street on the South Side in December.
On the 20th, she says she was sitting in her car and pulled up the app to pay for parking.
Her receipt says she paid 40 cents for ten minutes at 1:23, but a month later received the ticket for parking at 1:22.
“I was sitting in my car, obviously it was winter, it was cold and I was loading the app up on my phone and getting off the CALE machine and I put it there and it still sent me a ticket saying I didn’t pay,” she said.
She contested the ticket online and the authority dismissed it.
Then, she got another $25 ticket for parking in the same area. This time, she says she put a quarter into the kiosk for ten minutes but didn’t get a receipt.
“I paid at the machine for simply ten minutes to run into the store. I didn’t print the little paper receipt because it said it wasn’t necessary, so I didn’t print it. I figured, save the paper, and then I get a ticket anyway,” she said.
She contested that one as well, but received a letter that said:
“After carefully reviewing the facts and evidence available, the parking court judge has determined that your parking ticket has been upheld. The CALE machine ((or kiosk) not paid.”
She was just going to pay the ticket...until she saw our story about a woman in shady side who also received a ticket after paying to park.
Her ticket was dismissed.
“At first, I thought it was just and I actually kind of just gonna pay it and let it go, but then I saw your story and I said, wait, that’s happening to other people. How many other people is it happening to, and they’re just paying for it.”
Earle: You saw our story and you decided you are going to fight it?
Answer: Yes
She says the parking authority is now telling her she can’t appeal the ticket because she paid cash and didn’t get a receipt, but she contends the authority should have a record of when she punched in her plate at the kiosk and how much she paid.
11 Investigates has reached out to the parking authority. They said they are looking into the case.
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