Rome Repaints Free Parking Overnight, Then Fines Drivers Who Didn't Move

A Parking Spot That Changed Color Overnight. Atac Admits "Excessive Zeal" After Prati Residents Wake Up to Blue Lines and Tickets.Stefano Angeloni, a 65-year-old dentist, parked his car on Thursday evening, July 5, in via Catullo, in Rome's Prati neighborhood, on what were then ordinary free parking spaces marked with white lines. When he came down the next morning with his dog, the lines had turned blue, meaning paid parking, and a €29.40 fine was sitting on his windshield for failing to display a ticket. What tipped him off that something was wrong wasn't just the timing. Looking under his own wheels, he noticed the pavement there was still painted white, clear proof the car hadn't been moved while crews repainted the surrounding spaces. Angeloni filmed the scene and posted it to social media, expecting little more than a few friends to see it. Instead the clip went viral within hours, racking up more than 43,000 views and thousands of comments. No Warning, According to WitnessesAngeloni says there was no sign posted anywhere in the area announcing the change to paid parking. Shop owners nearby reportedly told him crews had shown up with paint rollers on Friday morning, the day after he parked, and repainted the white lines blue without any advance notice to residents. He also said he wasn't alone: several other people reached out to say the same thing had happened to them in different parts of the city. Despite being offered free legal assistance by a lawyer who saw the video and suggested he could contest the fine, Angeloni chose to pay it right away. The car belonged to his sister-in-law, and he said he didn't want to create complications for her. Atac's ResponseAtac, the company that manages paid parking in Rome on behalf of the city government, acknowledged the mistake once the story gained attention. In a statement, the company said its inspectors had acted correctly from a procedural standpoint but with excessive zeal, and announced it would cancel the fines issued in the areas affected by the overnight repainting. Refunds will be automatic for anyone who paid electronically by card; drivers who paid in cash or with a scratch-off parking voucher will need to request cancellation by emailing Atac's customer relations address, providing proof they parked in the affected zone and paid the fine. Atac also outlined changes going forward: for future conversions of free spaces into paid ones, the company said it would apply a grace period of greater tolerance in the first hours after a zone changes, and would supplement the usual press and social media notices with printed flyers placed directly on windshields in the affected area. A Recurring Complaint in RomeThe episode taps into a broader frustration familiar to many Roman drivers: finding street parking in neighborhoods like Prati is already difficult, and abrupt, poorly signposted changes to parking rules only add to the uncertainty. While Atac has framed this incident as an isolated case of overzealous enforcement, the volume of similar reports from other parts of the city suggests it may not be the last time drivers wake up to find the rules of their parking spot quietly rewritten overnight.

WIRE — A Parking Spot That Changed Color Overnight. Atac Admits "Excessive Zeal" After Prati Residents Wake Up to Blue Lines and Tickets.Stefano Angeloni, a 65-year-old dentist, parked his car on Thursday evening, July 5, in via Catullo, in Rome's Prati neighborhood, on what were then ordinary free parking spaces marked with white lines. When he came down the next morning with his dog, the lines had turned blue, meaning paid parking, and a €29.40 fine was sitting on his windshield for failing to display a ticket. What tipped him off that something was wrong wasn't just the timing. Looking under his own wheels, he noticed the pavement there was still painted white, clear proof the car hadn't been moved while crews repainted the surrounding spaces. Angeloni filmed the scene and posted it to social media, expecting little more than a few friends to see it. Instead the clip went viral within hours, racking up more than 43,000 views and thousands of comments. No Warning, According to WitnessesAngeloni says there was no sign posted anywhere in the area announcing the change to paid parking. Shop owners nearby reportedly told him crews had shown up with paint rollers on Friday morning, the day after he parked, and repainted the white lines blue without any advance notice to residents. He also said he wasn't alone: several other people reached out to say the same thing had happened to them in different parts of the city. Despite being offered free legal assistance by a lawyer who saw the video and suggested he could contest the fine, Angeloni chose to pay it right away. The car belonged to his sister-in-law, and he said he didn't want to create complications for her. Atac's ResponseAtac, the company that manages paid parking in Rome on behalf of the city government, acknowledged the mistake once the story gained attention. In a statement, the company said its inspectors had acted correctly from a procedural standpoint but with excessive zeal, and announced it would cancel the fines issued in the areas affected by the overnight repainting. Refunds will be automatic for anyone who paid electronically by card; drivers who paid in cash or with a scratch-off parking voucher will need to request cancellation by emailing Atac's customer relations address, providing proof they parked in the affected zone and paid the fine. Atac also outlined changes going forward: for future conversions of free spaces into paid ones, the company said it would apply a grace period of greater tolerance in the first hours after a zone changes, and would supplement the usual press and social media notices with printed flyers placed directly on windshields in the affected area. A Recurring Complaint in RomeThe episode taps into a broader frustration familiar to many Roman drivers: finding street parking in neighborhoods like Prati is already difficult, and abrupt, poorly signposted changes to parking rules only add to the uncertainty. While Atac has framed this incident as an isolated case of overzealous enforcement, the volume of similar reports from other parts of the city suggests it may not be the last time drivers wake up to find the rules of their parking spot quietly rewritten overnight.

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