New city parking management program launches

By Collin Kelley

SP Plus Corporation (SP+) has been selected to manage the City of Atlanta’s on-street parking program, which will be called ATLPlus. The municipal division of SP+ will provide parking enforcement, meter maintenance, collection and citation processing services.

The new program replace the controversial PARKatlanta, which was criticized by residents and business owners for its heavy-handed and inconsistent enforcement.

“With the addition of upgraded equipment and integration of smartphone apps, ATLPlus will minimize the time it takes for residents and visitors to safely and legally park their vehicles,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “In addition, customers will now have an opportunity to dispute tickets through an administrative review process. We are confident that SP Plus will bring a new level of experience and service to parking in our city.”

ATLPlus will allow customers up to 14 days to contest a citation online, in person or by mail. Each contested citation will be reviewed by the Department of Public Works’ Administrative Review Process to determine if the citation is valid or invalid.

Administrative reviews will be conducted by specially trained staff in the Department of Public Works and within 15 business days each contested citation will be reviewed and individuals will be notified of the validity of their parking citation. Citations that are invalid will be dismissed, while citations that are upheld can be paid or further disputed at the Atlanta Municipal Courts.

SP+ will upgrade the city’s 2,400 metered parking spaces, including upgrades include the conversion to a program using license plate recognition technology for enforcement. Over the coming months, SP+ plans to meet with neighborhood stakeholders to discuss the impact of the new program, enhanced customer service and operational efficiency.

“We are excited to have earned the City’s trust to make needed improvements to this valuable public service. Our objective will be to enhance the parking experience for customers by deploying new equipment while our staff maintains the southern hospitality for which Atlanta is known,” said Thomas Hagerman, Executive Vice President for SP Plus. For more information, visit spplus.com.