City says vandalism putting parking pay stations out of commission around Capitol Hill protest zone - CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News

sinayamars.blogspot.com

Seattleites might have a new reason to support the controversial “direct action” protesters who gather and march on Capitol Hill nearly every night. The city says protesters have destroyed dozens of parking pay stations and there are currently no plans for repairs. The vandalism has caused thousands of dollars in damage and lost revenue for the city.

“It is unfortunately true that close to 80 pay stations have been seriously vandalized, and graffiti has abounded,” a Seattle Department of Transportation representative wrote to a CHS reader who contacted the city about the problem and shared the message with us. “The Capitol Hill neighborhood has taken the brunt of much of the damage to the City’s parking infrastructure.”

Some of the lost revenue might be offset by an increase in parking tickets with parking enforcement officers again issuing fines after this summer’s COVID-19 grace period. With the pay stations busted, many more drivers are risking a ticket over using the city’s online payment system. And searching for a working meter is a waste of time. Vandals have destroyed pretty much every station for blocks around Cal Anderson.

SPD says it is looking into parking enforcement issues related to the damaged stations but has not yet provided an update to CHS.

---