The City of Hamilton has partnered with the Bermuda Police Service in an effort to enforce parking regulations within the municipality.

According to a spokeswoman for the city, the Traffic Offences Procedure Amendment and Validation Act officially came into effect on June 1, and a new dedicated input system to record parking tickets has been put in place.

“Tickets issued as of June 1 will carry a $75 penalty,” the spokeswoman said.

“Those that are not paid within seven days will result in a summons, signed by a magistrate, issued to the registered owner of the offending vehicle resulting in a $100 penalty. Continued lack of payment will lead to court action that will carry a $150 penalty.

“Failure to appear in court will result in a warrant issued for the arrest of the owner of the vehicle.

“All tickets issued as of June 1, 2017 will be input into the system and followed up.

“There will be a short amnesty in the issuing of a summons up to July 14, after which those who have not paid their parking tickets can expect to receive a summons to appear in court.

“Tickets will not expire.”

Ed Benevides, the chief operating officer at the city, said the new partnership addressed challenges that had previously prevented consistent enforcement of parking rules and regulations.

“Parking payment accounts for a substantial amount of the city’s income that feeds the annual budgets and allows us to complete capital projects and upgrades throughout the city,” he said.

“Without a robust budget, city infrastructure and improvements are gravely affected.

“The new partnership with the Bermuda Police Service will ensure that money owed to the city from violations will be paid and we can bring some law and order back to the city when it comes to parking.

“This should also be beneficial to City businesses, retailers and restaurants that rely on short-term parking for their customers.”