CONSULTING
CONSULTING
Beyond Amnesty: The Power of Parking Enforcement
Leigh Thomas
October 2025
For a tiny town, Bangor, Maine, certainly makes a lot of parking news! Between the snow accumulation that requires plowing, insufficient parking for businesses, and crimes committed in parking garages, there’s a wealth of reading material spawning from this town of a little more than 30,000 people.
This summer is no exception. Bangor has made significant strides in enhancing its parking management and capturing parking revenue to fund the maintenance of its parking facilities. In June, ParkMobile was introduced to citizens as a convenient way to pay for parking (in Bangor, the first two hours are free, and every hour after that is $1.50). Next, Bangor offered a month-long parking amnesty in July, during which residents had the opportunity to pay over $10,000 of outstanding parking tickets without any late fees. Finally, in August, the city implemented the Barnacle windshield enforcement system to enhance parking compliance and facilitate ticket payments. In one comment, a Bangor resident said, “Just what Bangor needs, more barnacles,” which did make me laugh out loud at my desk. TPN has been following this story and contacted the city’s development officer to follow up on the amnesty month and Barnacle implementation, but did not receive a response.
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Since TPN is in the business of parking all over the nation, we hear about many incidents where cities implement programs such as extended amnesty, turning a blind eye to violations to avoid issuing parking tickets, or limiting the number of tickets officers can write in a day. Typically, municipalities implement various programs or initiatives to make citizens happy, with the purpose of managing parking. However, these consequence-free incentive programs never work. When tickets are written but not paid, the parking violations continue. When citations or warnings are not given, the curb stays clogged. When amnesty periods are offered, citizens bring their food donation to get their slate cleaned and return to disregarding parking regulations. It appears that programs that shield citizens from the negative fallout of their actions do not motivate compliant behavior. Therefore, TPN is encouraged to see cities like Bangor setting standards to improve the efficiency of their city by prioritizing their parking assets.
Effective management of on-street parking is vital for fostering city development and supporting local businesses. City managers need to understand who parks in their business district and create a rate structure to support those patrons. Next, sufficient signage and digital communication platforms must be used to clearly communicate the rates, regulations, and enforcement procedures to all customers (especially those first-timers). Clear communication of enforcement policies in parking areas leads to better understanding and compliance. In our interview with Colin Heffron (President of Barnacle), I learned that enforcement is effective when customers are not surprised to receive the consequences of breaking the rules. This three-pronged approach – appropriate regulations, clear communication, and consistent enforcement - not only promotes compliance but also enhances the overall parking experience for everyone involved.
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Our Industry provides a service that is invaluable to many companies and families nationwide. Clyde says the parking industry is an on-the-streets business and fundamental to our culture. Since these on-the-street transactions drive the parking industry, we should be attentive to get the cars into spaces and the money into the bank. Bangor, Maine, is making considerable efforts to do just that. While the transition to parking rules, customer communication, and consistent enforcement may be challenging and complex, we hope that over time, the benefits of this restructuring will be positive for all.
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And of course, I can add that if Bangor or any other municipality is working towards parking improvements but feeling under-resourced, TPN is just a call away. We are here to support and guide!
References:
https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0696&item=3&snum=132