EDITORIAL : GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS PARKING TICKETS ARE UP SHARPLY AS CITY WORKERS BOOST THEIR OUTPUT TO KEEP ?7 THEIR JOBS.OFFICERS who issue parking citations are doing a necessary job, though it doesn't make them popular among drivers. Getting tagged with a ticket can fray fray 1 n. 1. A scuffle; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl. 2. A heated dispute or contest. tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic 1. To alarm; frighten. 2. tempers and significantly lighten light·en 1 v. light·ened, light·en·ing, light·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make light or lighter; illuminate or brighten. b. To make (a color) lighter. 2. billfolds, possibly explaining some of the frowns on faces of San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. drivers. Even taxpayers who normally are pleased if public employees work harder may have mixed feelings when they learn that more parking tickets are being written these days. As officers boost their productivity, the number of unhappy motorists grows. Last week, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. officials announced that parking-enforcement officers in the city Department of Transportation boosted their ticket-writing by an average of 42 percent in an experiment in the Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks areas. The trial project occurred after the City Council gave the employees a chance to improve their productivity to stave off stave n. 1. A narrow strip of wood forming part of the sides of a barrel, tub, or similar structure. 2. A rung of a ladder or chair. 3. A staff or cudgel. 4. Music See staff1. the possible privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned of their jobs. It appears that the Valley ticket writers have proved themselves, and preserved city jobs, which might have been turned over to private contractors. In cooperation with their supervisors, the officers accomplished the feat by establishing a team approach and agreeing on flexible working conditions like 10-hour workdays and four-day workweeks. The teams established new guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. for performance and attendance, resulting in a 78 percent reduction in sick time. In the first 20 weeks of the experiment, officers boosted the number of tickets written in an eight-hour period from 35 to 50, on average. Not too surprisingly, officials say the program is likely to be expanded citywide. Those results also are bound to cause taxpayers to wonder how many other city employees might become more productive with the proper motivation. It's a good question. And it deserves to be answered by City Hall. A word of warning, though: City Hall shouldn't automatically assume that ticket writers are goofing off if there is a decline in tickets in the future. It just might mean that more motorists have gotten the word that the city is serious about enforcing parking regulations. |
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