‘How likely it is I’m going to get a ticket’: Why Ursula avoids downtown Seattle

Parking enforcement in Seattle has slowed as the city’s parking enforcement officers’ contract negotiations have stalled, leading to fewer tickets issued and more warnings.

Ursula Reutin, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, said she rarely parks downtown unless it’s necessary because she’s at high risk of a parking infraction.

“This might be the best time for you to park in downtown Seattle, right? As someone who only goes downtown when I really have to, even though I would like to go there more often, but I avoid downtown Seattle because of parking and how expensive parking is and how likely it is I’m going to get a ticket,” Ursula said.

Ursula noted her experience parking at the Bellevue Square Mall, where she was able to park for free, and Gee asked if she would prefer parking enforcement officers to be more lackadaisical or issue more infractions for any wrongdoing.

“I wonder if this will be a thing. I want to ask this. Would you rather that parking enforcement be lax and give more warnings? Or have parking enforcement give a ticket for what you’ve done wrong?” Gee asked.

“I would rather have lax or just give warnings, but I don’t own a business, and I understand. I think that we need to do a better job of creating more parking where you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg,” Ursula said.

Producer Andrew Lanier shared that there have been fewer and fewer parking spots available, increasing the likelihood of getting a parking ticket.

“At the same time, they neighborhood zoned all the parking around here,” Lanier said. “So if I park in the neighborhood, I get a ticket like, bang. So you take away all the parking and then start issuing tickets for the remaining number of spots, like, screw that.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.