Speeding/Parking fines - online payment
From "Red Tape Reduction Consultation"
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Ability to pay fines online. Not necessary to go to police department to get ticket and then cashier's office to pay
Comments(14)
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Profile of Donna Amaral
Posted by:Donna Amaral
2 years ago
Online will hopefully get the fines paid
wonder how many DONT get paid and what happens to the persons who dont pay???
Profile of Dinah Sinnock
Posted by:Dinah Sinnock
2 years ago
Online is the way to go,
Profile of James Robinson
Posted by:James Robinson
2 years ago
Parking fines can be paid very easily by cheque (check).
Profile of ELIZABETH Peckett
Posted by:ELIZABETH Peckett
2 years ago
@James Robinson not many people have cheque books anymore.
Profile of James Robinson
Posted by:James Robinson
2 years ago
@ELIZABETH Peckett You are of course correct but I suspect that the people most likely to struggle with technology are those most likely to understand a cheque.
Profile of ELIZABETH Peckett
Posted by:ELIZABETH Peckett
2 years ago
@James Robinson Online should be an option. If people still happen to have a cheque book (we have not for 5 or more years) then use them. On the other hand, the painful process of having to go to court might puts most people off paying ...
Profile of W. Morgan
Posted by:W. Morgan
2 years ago
Agreed this should be online. Currently: go to the magistrates court, wait and enter through security, directed to a receptionist show the parking ticket, she directs you to a phone to call a number, person who answers comes from another office to whom you show your parking ticket, they take it away and subsequently return with a handwritten case number on it and you are then directed to the cashier on another floor. We must surely be able to improve on this process to the benefit of all. BTW the parking ticket advises various methods of payment other than having to visit the Magistrates Court which either don't exist (postal orders) or are impractical.
Profile of John Thompson
Posted by:John Thompson
2 years ago
@W. Morgan Thanks for describing the process in more detail. Having to deal with 4 people to pay a parking fine seems like the definition of too much red tape to me - Security guard, receptionist, police & cashier.
Would also add the first time I went to pay they were closed for lunch (1:15-2pm) - my fault for not reading the time.
The second time I went at 3:30pm but they were closed despite the email saying they were open until 4pm.
Finally, I was successful at my third visit.
Profile of James Robinson
Posted by:James Robinson
2 years ago
@John Thompson isn't it worth having a cheque book just to pay parking fines in that case? If you put a cheque in the envelope provided on the ticket and then drop in a post box the whole thing goes away.
Why would I want it to go online? Would almost certainly lose the ability to pay by cheque which is almost trivial in comparison to the headache that comes from most online services (this only applies to parking, not speeding tickets).
Profile of John Thompson
Posted by:John Thompson
2 years ago
@James Robinson I'm not sure you can pay by check as don't remember that being an option on the form (but don't have a way to confirm)? I remember postal orders being an option but not sure if they are even used in Bermuda anymore (as mentioned above). The forms are significantly out of date anyway with the fine amount crossed out and handwritten by the parking attendant so not sure how much of the information is still relevant.
No need to remove check as a payment option although they are being phased out globally and to maintain a separate checking account just to pay the occasional (I hope) parking ticket?
Ideally, outstanding parking and speeding fines would be linked to TCD, and you could pay when renewing your license but feel that would end up increasing red tape not reducing it.
Profile of James Robinson
Posted by:James Robinson
2 years ago
One can definitely, pay by cheque. I have paid two parking tickets recently after I misread the sign outside the coffee shop on Reid Street.
The cheques need to be made out to the Account General. There is a prohibition on paying by cash if submitting through the post. To me, this seems perfectly reasonable in the circumstances. The parking ticket is itself a pre-paid envelope. No stamp is required.
Paying parking tickets is all I use my chequebook for. I have no other use for a chequebook. I agree that there is no reason why digitising the paying of parking tickets should mean that the ability to pay by cheque would go away. However, my general experience with governments is that the digital process is rarely easier. One should get a parking ticket very rarely, consequently remembering one's password, discovering that the address on the account is wrong etc can all create additional frictions that in-person/paper transactions rarely have.
Ultimately, if I have a parking fine it is because I did something wrong. Given that the option exists to pay by cheque, which thus avoids the four interactions described above, I am sure there are better uses for Government time than automating this.
Profile of Donna Amaral
Posted by:Donna Amaral
2 years ago
agree with red tape reduction
Profile of Stefan Dill
Posted by:Stefan Dill
2 years ago
I think the whole process should be online. Unless I want to dispute the ticket or fine then going to court to just say yes is not necessary and is an inconvenience.
Profile of Mischa Fubler
Posted by:Mischa Fubler
2 years ago
I think this an excellent idea that can help reduce the administrative burden on the court staff. Also reduces the security risk of having to provide card details over the phone to pay remotely
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proposed