“It’s not like we rolled it out and everyone came running in for hearings,” said Mary Gotsopoulis, the chief administrative law judge for the city’s Parking Violations Bureau, which adjudicates tickets.

Chris Nellen, an unemployed copywriter, said if he had known about the program he would have challenged a ticket he received on Oct. 24.

Mr. Nellen, 40, said he had pulled his gray 2008 Toyota into a space near his girlfriend’s house in Park Slope, Brooklyn, that morning. He had not gotten a ticket in years and had not seen a sign down the block prohibiting parking for street cleaning from 7:30 to 8 a.m., so he said he was shocked to find a $45 ticket on the car when he returned. But he paid the ticket (and a $2 service fee) without protest to avoid further frustration.

Mr. Nellen said he did not think a possible fine reduction was worth waiting for a hearing with a judge. But had he known an automatic reduction by a clerk was available, it would have been different. “If I could walk in and walk out, absolutely!” he said.

Ms. Gotsopoulis said that the efficiency of the hearing system has improved because a large slice of those who once waited for judges are now being dealt with by clerks, reducing the waiting time.

“You can come in during your lunch time and get service within that hour,” she said. “Prior to the settlements, hearings by mail took a number of months before you would get decisions. Now, you can get a decision in two to four weeks.”

The clerks who work in the settlement program use a set schedule of fine reductions, which are tied to the severity of the infraction. For certain tickets, like parking at a fire hydrant, no settlement is possible. People who challenge a ticket by mail, or online, are given the same option after they request a hearing.