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ThisAmericanSatire t1_jd5pgc1 wrote

Reply to comment by orlitzky in DON'T PARK IN BIKE LANES Due to the increased 311 reports in the area, we are increasing E Monument St between N Broadway & N Washington. by BmoreCityDOT

And then people will challenge the tickets saying it was photoshopped, so you'll have to show up in court and testify, but you will be like "eh, do I really want to go down to court and go through all that just to get paid $25? Nahhh."

And then every asshole in town will realize they can just challenge the tickets in court and the witness is unlikely to show up and deal with the hassle, resulting in the fines being dismissed, which will defeat the whole purpose.

The idea of paying bounties for photo evidence is an idea that sounds really great in theory, but will likely not produce meaningful results.

At worst, it'll be just another means for blaming victims and dismissing complaints - "Stop complaining that there's cars parked in the bike lanes! Be part of the solution! Take pictures and we'll pay you!"*

*After you waste a day of your life in court that will probably cost you more money in lost wages than the bounty pays.

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orlitzky t1_jd6bc1m wrote

It wastes the driver's time to appeal even if the witness stays home. This raises the cost of parking in the bike lane significantly from its current level of zero.

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monkeycat909 t1_jd89zni wrote

The photoshop issue can be mitigated by requiring a video instead of a photo. In NYC, the city offers bounties to people who submit videos of commercial vehicles idling. I'd love to see Baltimore do the same.

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