D.C. CM Mary Cheh kicking off a roundtable around DPW's booting and towing program, which she says is lax. 500k eligible vehicles to be booted, but only 2 teams booting 50 cars a day.
Watch here: dc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph…
More info: dccouncil.us/event/transpor…
Watch here: dc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.ph…
More info: dccouncil.us/event/transpor…
Cheh says:
3,000 vehicles have 20+ tickets
500 vehicles have 40+
1 Virginia car has 180 moving violations, 226 tickets total (including parking)
"These are tickets for dangerous driving behaviors and they are still on our roads... DPW is doing almost nothing to catch them."
3,000 vehicles have 20+ tickets
500 vehicles have 40+
1 Virginia car has 180 moving violations, 226 tickets total (including parking)
"These are tickets for dangerous driving behaviors and they are still on our roads... DPW is doing almost nothing to catch them."
Cheh says continuing on our current course is not an option. She has said she would add legislation to expand the booting teams.
Mark Eckenwiler ANC 6C04 is testifying w/ these suggestions:
- Rapid response when high # violator parks or found by mobile scanner
- Focus on chronic violators
- Look for driver patterns/use predictive analysis
- Focus on non-D.C. violators
- 5-10% bounties for citizen tipsters
- Rapid response when high # violator parks or found by mobile scanner
- Focus on chronic violators
- Look for driver patterns/use predictive analysis
- Focus on non-D.C. violators
- 5-10% bounties for citizen tipsters
Acting DPW Director Christine Davis says DPW has only 268 boots. They can be put on vehicles with two unpaid tickets older than 60 days,
Keep in mind there are 500,000 plates/vehicles eligible to be booted.
Keep in mind there are 500,000 plates/vehicles eligible to be booted.
Two teams regularly go around Wards 1-6. Wards 7 and 8 are not on regular booting routes because of lower scofflaw rates, Davis says, but there are special sweeps occasionally.
Davis says booting team was reduced from 10 people in recent years. Currently have 4 people and looking to fill 3 booting positions now.
If tickets are not paid within 24 hours, DPW tows vehicles if space is available in the impoundment lot, which has a limited capacity of 750 spaces.
On any given day 92% of spaces are filled.
On any given day 92% of spaces are filled.
Davis says there are 633,000 vehicles from across the country that are eligible to be booted in the District:
336,000 from MD
168,000 from VA
44,000 from D.C.
336,000 from MD
168,000 from VA
44,000 from D.C.
Davis says DPW needs more resources for booting and towing and more space to house impound vehicles.
Cheh brings up a person that is "good at removing boots" in Wards 7/8. Davis said someone has done this for 20 years and they work around the whole city, but they've never been able to catch them. Would need to work with MPD to apprehend.
Cheh was appalled and upset at that.
Cheh was appalled and upset at that.
Deputy Mayor Babers posits if camera tickets should be a suspendable offense.
"That would end up suspending a lot of people and that would affect equity issue... (but) everyone can drive the speed limit and drive safely. It has nothing to do with your income level, your race."
"That would end up suspending a lot of people and that would affect equity issue... (but) everyone can drive the speed limit and drive safely. It has nothing to do with your income level, your race."
Cheh asks about more space for tow lot, and how many booters DPW working on hiring.
- Looking at more space, but none suitable yet
- Three positions have been funded since Oct., Davis didn't know those were open and is now posting those jobs today.
- Looking at more space, but none suitable yet
- Three positions have been funded since Oct., Davis didn't know those were open and is now posting those jobs today.
Babers says the reciprocity conversation has taken a left turn. VA/MD officials want to look at consistency of the law throughout region and focus on that.
Babers said D.C. is pushing back on that and wants to focus on reciprocity for ticket payment, holding drivers accountable
Babers said D.C. is pushing back on that and wants to focus on reciprocity for ticket payment, holding drivers accountable
Here's the background on that whole discussion: dcist.com/story/21/10/14…
This just popped into my feed, but I don't think D.C. has talked about this type of driver education program for egregious bad drivers with lots of tickets.
https://twitter.com/Gothamist/status/1467896871834247171
Back to the hearing, Cheh says she's not in favor of regular citizens going out and writing tickets themselves. But she says they could help notify DPW.
Babers says many people submit 311 requests for high # ticket vehicles. Davis says DPW does respond to those.
Babers says many people submit 311 requests for high # ticket vehicles. Davis says DPW does respond to those.
Cheh notes that increased enforcement would essentially pay for itself. Davis agrees.
Cheh asking about the increase of fake temporary tags going around the District... a lot of them are from Texas... what do we know about that and how do we respond?
Babers said the city administrator looking at putting together a task force to address the issue.
Babers said the city administrator looking at putting together a task force to address the issue.
And that wraps the hearing. Lots in there! Story to come.
My memory is so bad that I wrote about a booting bill in 2019 and completely forgot about it.
Looks like it never went anywhere though: lims.dccouncil.us/Legislation/B2…
dcist.com/story/19/11/21…
Looks like it never went anywhere though: lims.dccouncil.us/Legislation/B2…
dcist.com/story/19/11/21…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
