NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville rideshare drivers continued to raise concerns over downtown parking tickets this week, after Tracy Lang told NewsChannel 5she received parking tickets in the mail for times she says she wasn't even parked at all.
Those parking tickets were issued not by Metro Police officers, but by city employees working for the Nashville Department of Transportation.
NDOT says they do allow certain employees to write parking tickets for right-of-way regulations like parking in loading zones and stopping in travel lanes.
But Lang says two tickets she got didn't even get to her mailbox in time, because the tickets were sent to an old address, where they incurred additional fees.
"I got really mad," Lang said.
NDOT says mailed parking tickets are sent to the address on file with the DMV, but Lang says she already updated her new address with the DMV when she got her new driver license. NDOT says while it issues parking tickets, it does not process the citations, so they couldn't speak more about the address issues.
But Lang says the bigger issue downtown is the need for more clearly marked spaces for rideshare pickups and drop-offs, so people working as rideshare drivers can avoid parking tickets altogether.
"It's very unfortunate for us because we're serving the city," Lang said. "We're helping with tourism, we're keeping DUI people off the roads."
Tracy says one trouble spot is Broadway next to Bridgestone arena, where no parking or standing is allowed on the arena side, and there's just a two-car carveout reserved for rideshares across the street.
"Where else are we gonna pull over? Are we just gonna throw them out in the middle of the road?" Lang said.
NDOT says rideshare drivers waiting in travel lanes like the one next to Bridgestone isn't safe and contributes to traffic issues in the downtown core.
But Lang says drivers like her need more options to help do their job without getting ticketed.
"What are we supposed to do?" Lang said. "Slow down, and say, 'alright people, I'm gonna slow down, and you jump and roll!'"
