Reason Behind the 48-hour Parking Rule

[wonkywheels.livejournal.com]

There has been some talk in this community about the 48-hour parking rule. Can someone explain the rationale behind this law? I have a car, but I take the "T" or ride my bike to work, so it doesn't make sense to me to have to move my car for no reason. I understand the need to move my car for street-sweeping, but this 48-hour thing doesn't seem to have a basis.

Comments

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

That's a crap argument ... based on your argument, we should completely eliminate enforcement of parking policies, because then no one has to pay for parking enforcement officers.


Nice straw man there. And you managed to leave out the court costs, too!

For the record, I am actually all for parking enforcement. Parking is a necessary public service, but it's one that requires oversight because it's very easy to abuse. I don't own a car but paying for parking enforcement out of my taxes doesn't bother me a whit. I'd just like for them to be able to operate in an efficient manner, and it's my job as a citizen to support policies that make it so. I happen to think a limit extension would cause more problems than it would solve.


I'd also like to point out that an employee is more than just their wage in terms of cost, and that you work on the assumption that every parking ticket issued is paid. Even if the efficient financial scenario you imagine were the case, it still has to be paid for up front and nothing can replace lost time. Parking enforcement officals and traffic court judges have better things to do than deal with somebody blatantly violating the rules coming in to whine about being caught.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Parking enforcement officals and traffic court judges have better things to do than deal with somebody blatantly violating the rules coming in to whine about being caught.

You're right, no should have their day in court, even for something as simple as a parking ticket.

If a ticket goes unpaid, it goes to collections, and then it prevents re-registration/renewal as well as renewal of driver's license.

But, as a non car owner, you wouldn't know that.

Your original argument is that the city pays for parking scofflaws.
You're right: the city pays for parking scofflaws, temporarily.
The scofflaw pays more, in the end, if they want to keep driving.
Too many unpaid parking tickets, and then you can be served a bench warrant.

Unless you are UPS or FedEx.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

You're right, no should have their day in court, even for something as simple as a parking ticket.

There you go again, putting words in my mouth.

The entire idea is that I feel an extension would invite stupid people to violate the rules. If we don't give them the invitation, then they don't show up; hence, fewer pointless court dates. Nothing in there about denying them their day in court, just that because they are entitled to that day in court, it creates bureaucratic waste, and that this is to be avoided.

If a ticket goes unpaid, it goes to collections, and then it prevents re-registration/renewal as well as renewal of driver's license.

I am politely skeptical, in light of the complaints I hear, that the Registry actually works this way in an efficient and timely manner, as I've known people with a brick of parking tickets get their license renewed. I am, in fact, politely skeptical the Registry can be described as "efficient" and "timely" in any way, shape or form.

Even if it did, cities can't budget for "the long run" and your idea that somehow ALL the costs are paid by the violator is flat-out wrong. That's not how government budgets actually WORK. There are unrecoverable costs associated with any sort of enforcement; if there weren't, we wouldn't be giving tax money to them in the first place. The city still has to pay up front, and even if they eventually get the money back, it's not like they have the time or capability to issue a refund.

In short, we might get SOME back, but not all.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Here's what I just don't get:

I'm talking about non-residents, actually. My main concern is that if the time limit is extended, we'll have idiots trying to take advantage of that so they don't have to pay for parking. Even if they do wind up getting ticketed and towed, that's still going to have to be paid for by the city.

Whether or not the limit is extended, we will have scofflaws, yes?
Does extending the limit mean there will be MORE of them?

Because all your arguments about how much ticketing and appeals cost the city MAY be true, but they would STILL be true regardless of the parking limit time.

Regarding registry inefficiency, i had one unpaid ticket, and they refused to renew my license.

Parking enforcement officals and traffic court judges have better things to do than deal with somebody blatantly violating the rules coming in to whine about being caught.

Like what?
Aren't they being paid to deal with parking enforcement?
It's part of their job purview.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Does extending the limit mean there will be MORE of them?

It's my opinion that'd be the case.

Parking enforcement officals and traffic court judges have better things to do than deal with somebody blatantly violating the rules coming in to whine about being caught.

Like what?
Aren't they being paid to deal with parking enforcement?

What would you rather they dealt with; traffic cases in which there is some reasonable dispute which the court can resolve? Or traffic cases in which the violation is SO clear (i.e. you don't live in Somerville and yet you left your car in resident parking for a long span of time) that there's nothing the defendant can do to convince the court otherwise?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

What would you rather they dealt with; traffic cases in which there is some reasonable dispute which the court can resolve?

I'd rather they do their job.
Which is to hear all parking enforcement related appeals.

Because, as you have seen here, it's not simply scofflaws complaining they've been caught, it's been people who have left and come back to the same spot who have gotten nailed.

The appeals process exists to prevent a miscarriage of enforcement.
That it sometimes gets bogged down with cases that are legally clear-cut, is a side effect of everyone being considered equal under the law.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

That it sometimes gets bogged down with cases that are legally clear-cut, is a side effect of everyone being considered equal under the law.

So it doesn't seem sensible to you to avoid as much as possible those clear-cut situations by supporting, as a citizen, policies and policy changes within the law that limit them?

I'm not arguing for a change in how traffic court works here, which you seem to be confused on. I'm of the opinion that we would have more bureaucratic waste and general parking problems with an extended time limit than would ultimately make the change remotely worth it.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

So it doesn't seem sensible to you to avoid as much as possible those clear-cut situations by supporting, as a citizen, policies and policy changes within the law that limit them?

We disagree on whether increasing the limit would create more violations.

I firmly believe that tougher laws do not necessarily mean less violations of the laws.

Hell, it seems to be simple math: MORE laws provide more opportunities to violate the law.

Tougher enforcement usually creates less violations.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I firmly believe that tougher laws do not necessarily mean less violations of the laws.

We're agreed on this point. I just don't think there's a good solution to Somerville's parking problem and the 48-hour limit is the best of a bad lot.

Hell, it seems to be simple math: MORE laws provide more opportunities to violate the law.

Actually, under the current U.S. legal codes, we're all lawbreakers in some way, shape, or form. Of course, some of those laws are outdated, ill-advised, or just so commonly broken enforcement is pointless.

Tougher enforcement usually creates less violations.

I'd agree with this as well, to a point. I think a lot depends on what's being enforced and those doing the enforcing.