PRESS RELEASE: WTOP 103.5 FM and wtop.com today announced the addition of another consumer feature – the WTOP TicketBuster. With hundreds of new traffic cameras (speed, traffic, and red light) in the D.C. area and a record number of parking tickets being written, more stories are surfacing about flaws in these systems. WTOP Sprawl and Crawl Reporter Ari Ashe will be the “TicketBuster,” sharing the stories and fighting the fines of wrongly ticketed commuters.
Ashe will launch the feature with several jaw-dropping stories, including a listener who received a parking ticket with his license plate but the make, model, and color of an entirely different vehicle. WTOP’s Ashe was able to get the ticket dismissed.
Another example includes a listener who received a parking ticket in DC, yet has proof she and the vehicle were at a funeral in Maryland at the time of the infraction. Ashe also reports on a motorist who received a ticket for suspended Maryland registration and tags. The DMV is unwilling to dismiss the ticket, in spite of an MVA letter explaining it was an error.
“Ari’s reporting has touched a nerve with frustrated commuters in the Washington, D.C. area,” says WTOP Program Director Laurie Cantillo. “Many are battling tickets with reams of documentation to support their case, yet their arguments are falling on deaf ears. Our goal is to make sure all drivers in Maryland, Virginia, and the District get a fair shake.”
The “WTOP TicketBuster” feature will air today on WTOP with more complete stories featured on wtop.com. Listeners who wish to file grievances to be considered by WTOP can do so by emailing ticketbuster@wtop.com.
About WTOP
WTOP Radio has served the Washington region since 1926 and has been Washington’s all-news radio station since 1969. WTOP is the most widely listened-to radio station in the nation’s capital. WTOP can be heard on 103.5 FM in the metro, 103.9 FM in Frederick, 107.7 FM in Stafford and worldwide at wtop.com. WTOP and its sister station Federal News Radio are owned and operated by Hubbard Radio, LLC.
Contact:
Laurie Cantillo, Program Director
202-895-5000
lcantillo@wtop.com
