City traffic enforcement agents could soon be serving up parking tickets with a smile.
Mayor Bloomberg wants to increase sensitivity training for the agents, who issue about 30,000 parking violations daily – a paper trail long enough to cross the Brooklyn Bridge five times.
Edge Training Institute of Ohio is one of the companies courting the city for the training contract. Edge’s Aaron Ziff said his firm looks at the psychology behind stressful situations. Techniques for diffusing a tension include acknowledging a motorist’s anger and frustration, and explaining how a driver could dispute a ticket.
“We give [traffic agents] an awareness about what occurs in the brain and how their behavior affects other people and themselves when they engage in situations,” said Ziff, whose past clients include Starbucks and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.
Etiquette Dispute
James Huntley, president of the union that represents some 3,000 traffic enforcement agents, said it’s drivers who need to learn manners.
“If you go to a bank and don’t qualify for a mortgage loan, you don’t punch the person” working in the bank, Huntley said.
Huntley noted the ticket writers already receive sensitivity training called CPR, which stands for “Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect.” Calmly addressing citizens and walking away from angry drivers are taught.
A traffic enforcement agent, who didn’t want his name used, said an angry driver once attacked him, and he knew of colleagues whose feet were run over by fleeing drivers.
A Bitter Clash
But some motorists charge some traffic enforcement agents are no angels. Days after the mayor proposed more sensitivity training, traffic enforcement agent Twana Chapman allegedly struck Qiang Nian Zhu after he prevented her from scanning his registration sticker by covering it with his hand in Chinatown.
Zhu contends there was a minute left on his Muni Meter ticket and his wife was getting a new one. Witnesses reportedly said Chapman made racially charged remarks. Zhu was arrested for obstructing governmental administration and harassment.
“They need it. They definitely need it, “Julia Kwon, Zhu’s lawyer, said of the proposed training. “If she had gotten the sensitivity training, and heeded it, this situation would never have happened.”
Take Five
It’s unclear how a City Council proposal to give drivers a five-minute grace period after meter expiration will affect relations between motorists and ticket agents. Bloomberg opposes the plan, saying it could lead to more arguments. Edge’s Paul Meshanko said, “If city is look into cutting people some slack that’s a beautiful thing. People aren’t perfect.”
Could less parking tickets be help relations between drivers and agents? That’s not an option said Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorga: “We’re not going to not enforce the law. They’re there to ensure that lanes are not blocked. “
