Regional Webinar Series: What’s Top of Mind in the Mid-Atlantic
As part of Passport’s Regional Webinar Series, leaders across the Mid-Atlantic came together to discuss one of the most talked-about topics in parking today: automated enforcement and citations by mail.
Moderated by Zach Earles, Senior Account Executive at Passport, the conversation featured Chuck J. Boddy (Chief of Parking Management, Prince George’s County, MD), Mark Barham (Chief Information Officer, Williamsburg, VA), and Peter Little (Executive Director, Baltimore City Parking Authority, MD). Together, they shared real-world perspectives on what’s working, what’s changing, and what it takes to move enforcement programs forward.
Why Cities Are Rethinking Enforcement
Across the board, cities are facing similar challenges: low compliance rates, limited enforcement resources, and increasing pressure to do more with less.
For some, compliance rates are far below where they need to be, impacting everything from parking availability to program effectiveness. At the same time, traditional enforcement methods rely heavily on in-person interactions—creating inefficiencies and, in some cases, safety concerns for officers in the field.
Automated enforcement is emerging as a way to address both, helping cities improve compliance while reducing the need for constant, manual enforcement.
Different Paths, Same Direction
While the interest is widespread, not every city is able to implement citations by mail today.
Panelists highlighted that the biggest barrier isn’t technology, but legislation. In many states, parking violations are still treated in ways that require citations to be issued in person, making by-mail enforcement a future goal rather than a current reality.
That hasn’t slowed progress. Cities are actively preparing by:
- Transitioning to license plate-based systems
- Expanding digital payment options
- Building internal alignment and external coalitions
The focus has shifted from if automated enforcement will happen to how to enable it.
What Changes When Automation Is in Place
For cities that have already introduced elements of automated enforcement, the impact is clear.
By leveraging tools like license plate recognition and mailed invoices, municipalities are seeing:
- Increased compliance
- More consistent revenue collection
- Better visibility into parking behavior
Just as important, these systems generate data that helps cities refine their programs over time—whether that’s adjusting pricing, identifying high-demand areas, or improving enforcement coverage.
Laying the Groundwork for What’s Next
One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation: success starts well before implementation.
Panelists emphasized the importance of:
- Collecting and understanding data early to identify gaps and support decision-making
- Building coalitions across cities and stakeholders to drive legislative change
- Engaging the community to ensure programs are clear and effective
- Testing and iterating through pilot programs before scaling
Automated enforcement isn’t just a technology upgrade, but a a shift in how parking programs operate.
As cities continue to navigate policy, operations, and technology, one thing is clear: collaboration and shared learning will play a critical role in moving the industry forward.
