Metered forgiveness: New ticket policy bene_¶ ts visitors

Parking in Chapel Hill can be a real hassle especially the first time you visit.

You have to find a parking spot; there are meters everywhere; there's traffic. And it's easy to park illegally if you don't know where you're going.

But Chapel Hill has come up with a solid plan to make the town a little more visitor friendly: a ticket forgiveness program.

The program called Courtesy Ticket lets people off the hook for one ticket per calendar year.

Unfortunately that only applies to tickets from a parking meter violation.

The program went into effect on July 1 and it should go a long way in making Chapel Hill easier to visit.

Now first-time meter violators will see their citations dismissed in what the town calls a way of thanking people for visiting downtown.

It's all too easy to break a parking law when you're a visitor. You don't know where good parking is; you might not have enough quarters; or you could just lose track of time.

But maybe this program will take away some of the frustration that comes with the unknown. And it's better for businesses in Chapel Hill if first-time visitors don't go away fuming because they got a ticket.

For all the rest of you who live in Chapel Hill: relax.

If you haven't gotten a ticket yet this year the next time you overstay your welcome at the meter the town will post a note on your car thanking you for stopping by.

Enjoy your freebie.