13,000 parking fines in Ixelles never delivered due to computer glitch

If you overstayed your parking spot in Ixelles lately … don’t worry about it at all. Most likely, your fine has been forgiven, due to a computer error.

A digital glitch meant that a few thousand parking offences earned by drivers between April and July in Ixelles were never sent out. “It’s a complicated technology,” spokesperson Pierre Vassart told Bruzz. “From 1 April into July there was a computer bug, which was responsible for the parking fines not being mailed.”

The municipality – along with seven others in Brussels – joined the regional Parking.Brussels agency on 1 April. The transition from a municipal to a regional structure has been anything but smooth, with problems reported earlier this summer involving a reminder to renew parking permits. It was never sent, so many residents received dozens of parking fines all at once.

Those were largely forgiven, as will be most of the fines that were never sent during the period. All of the fines put together that are being cancelled amount to about 13,000. That’s a loss to the municipality of €325,000.

Ixelles is not amused. “These are not the only problems we’ve had with Parking.Brussels,” said Vassart. “In August, 300 new parking metres were places, but one in three doesn’t take bank cards.”

Vassart says that he “absolutely” believes in a regional parking policy, “but it is difficult to defend it if the framework and management are not in order”.