Mayor seeks to hike parking fines

BOSTON. Parking illegally could become a more expensive risk in Boston.

The increased fines are aimed at raising an additional $13 million and are included in Mayor Thomas Menino’s $2.42 billion city budget.

The fine for parking in front of a handicapped ramp would double from $50 to $100. Parking in front of a fire hydrant would cost $100, up from the current $75, and the penalty for parking in a crosswalk would rise from $40 to $85.

The hikes would apply only to the city’s downtown area and other main thoroughfares. Menino says many parking fines have gone unchanged for more than a decade and the increases are “overdue.”