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Stu Bykofsky: Parking Authority has no time for time payments

PATRICIA FRIEL isn't saying she didn't do the crime - even though she didn't - and she's willing to pay the fine. All the 72-year-old widow asks is that the Philadelphia Parking Authority stop hounding her.

A sign warns motorists about a red light camera system at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia. (Laurence Kesterson / Staff Photographer / File)
A sign warns motorists about a red light camera system at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia. (Laurence Kesterson / Staff Photographer / File)Read more

PATRICIA FRIEL isn't saying she didn't do the crime - even though she didn't - and she's willing to pay the fine. All the 72-year-old widow asks is that the Philadelphia Parking Authority stop hounding her.

The misery began June 1 last year when a ticket was issued by an automated red-light camera at Cottman and the Boulevard.

The driver of her '84 Pontiac Bonneville (with 125,000 miles) was her son, Edward, 50, who had dropped her off at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she's being treated for lung cancer.

She stopped smoking 30 years ago. "I did all the bad things," says Friel, lightly. The lung cancer is her second go-around with the Big C. She beat the first, a bout with endometria.

Edward made a bad turn off the Boulevard and told his mom to expect the ticket. Sure enough, it came.

Patricia - who lives on Social Security and a small pension - wanted to pay it herself because her son is on disability and drives her to and from her cancer treatments.

She called the number on the ticket, which she thought was the Philadelphia Parking Authority, to ask if she could pay the $100 fine in four installments.

According to Patricia, the PPA woman said, "We don't normally do that, but you do what you want as long as the ticket gets paid."

That sounded like "OK," so she mailed out $25 checks in July, August, September and October.

Free at last, she was thinking.

"The next thing you know," in early November "I got a notice of violation" for $75, she told me.

The notice claimed she was in arrears, even though she had paid off the $100 in time payments, as she told PPA she would.

Friel was told she had to pay at once, or the matter would be turned over to a collection agency. Friel thought that was unfair and thought the fine was too high. "Seventy-five dollars on a $100 ticket? Why don't they just make it $100?" she groused.

Wanting to get out from under the debt, "I called them to ask if I could make payments again."

Once again, nobody said no. Someone should have. Installment paying is not permitted.

In fact, she hadn't spoken to PPA, spokeswoman Linda Miller told me. Friel talked to the call center for red-light violations.

You don't just send in payments. You get a bill from them, tear off your receipt, then mail it, Friel told me. That's what

Friel did in November and January, but not December, because she didn't get a bill that month, she said.

Then a lawyer's letter arrived, threatening her car with possible impoundment or the boot - and her with jail.

The PPA's Miller was distressed to hear what Friel is going through.

When she got the ticket, Friel could have requested a hearing to explain that she wasn't the driver, Miller said. Just requesting a hearing with the Office of Administrative Review would have stopped the clock on when ticket payment was due.

Although the hearing master can't authorize time payments, Miller suggested that Friel might have gotten a break because she wasn't the driver.

Water over the dam.

Right now, Friel just wants to pay the remaining $25 on the fine and get a letter from PPA saying she is paid up and free from legal threats.

That will happen when Friel pays, Miller promised me.

So it's a happy ending, but two things stick with me:

Someone in red-light customer service is wrongly letting people think they can pay in installments.

And why not accept installments?

To some people, like Friel, $100 is serious money. They can't just fish a C-note out of their purse, especially in these tough times.

PPA should have a hardship rule to deal with this.

E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns:

http://go.philly.com/byko.