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SALT LAKE CITY — Some drivers are suing Salt Lake City over parking. They say new parking kiosks violate city code, so everyone should get their money back.
That could be in the millions of dollars over the past two years, when the city switched from 2,100 meters or pay stations down to 344 kiosks, according to a new lawsuit.
"There has to be a parking meter on the curb, next to a parking space, that shows you visually how much time you have left, and when that parking meter has expired," said Shane Johnson, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. "These parking space pay stations do no such thing."
Johnson served the lawsuit Friday in behalf of Timothy Bivens, Antonio Arias and S. Steven Maese. Maese said he has paid up to $1,450 in fees.
The lawsuit says when Salt Lake City changed from coin meters to the new blue kiosks, it never updated the city code outlining how the kiosk system actually works.
City code says each parking stall should have a meter, but now each stall has a number and the blue kiosks cover several stalls. The lawsuit claims the city went from 2,100 meters or pay stations down to 344 kiosks.
The other attorney for the plaintiffs, Mark Schwarz, contends that some parking tickets include processing and late fees.
"The people who have come to us for help on these things want a level playing field," he said. "They want fairness and they want the city to be held accountable under the laws that we all operate under."
Schwarz provided documents that show the city had the chance to fix the ordinances, but it did not.
Spokesmen in the mayor's and city council's offices say leaders won't comment on the lawsuit as it is pending.
Contributing: Haley Smith
