Many fixed tickets were for 'more serious' moving violations, mayor says on radio show

On his weekly radio show today, Mayor Bloomberg indicated that many of the fixed tickets were for moving violations -- which he described as far more serious that mere parking summonses.

"These are all not parking tickets" said the mayor.

"These are moving violation tickets that we're talking about, which is, you could argue, a lot more serious because maybe you were drunk driving, or maybe speeding if you kill somebody whereas, parking could be in front of a fire hydrant, which could be dangerous or at a crossing, it's an inconvenience."

Bloomberg said new computer system the NYPD installed last year should have ended ticket rigging.

"The commissioner, I've talked to him a lot, and he's convinced when the cop gets back to headquarters with the tickets they go right into the computer and after that it would be very hard to manipulate the system," said the mayor . "You can't promise zero but, virtually not."

"This really hasn't happened, we think, since last July, if it happened before. I'm going to be very careful because you don't want to prejudice."

When WOR radio host John Gambling said he had read that "this seems to be part of the culture," the mayor responded: "I've read what you've read."

A mayoral aide explained later that most of the tickets that cops give out are for moving violations.

The aide said cops account for only 15 percent of the tickets issued for parking infractions, with civilian parking agents writing 85 percent.

The aide said further that the "evidence" the mayor was referring to were press accounts of the ticket-fixing scandal, not NYPD reports.