Happy First Day of Street Sweeping Season!

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

$50. For a street-sweeping ticket. Not for parking in a handicapped spot or in front of a fire hydrant. Seriously? Seriously?!?

This is out of control. I was ticketed at 8:16 a.m. BEFORE street sweeping had even begun in my neighborhood. By the time I moved my car at 8:24 a.m. I hadn't impeded ANYTHING. How about ticketing AFTER the street sweeper moves through and ticketing people who ACTUALLY impeded street sweeping? Oh too much hassle you say? I don't think so. If the city can put people out bright and early to ticket before people move their cars to go to work then they sure as hell can put those same people out at say, 9 a.m. when most working people will have gone for the day and what remains are cars that will likely be on the street all day.

I know I'll be snarked from here to Winter Hill but I don't know why we take this crap. When I moved here in 2000, a street sweeping ticket was $10. $10! Now it's $50. I know MY pay hasn't increased 5X since 2000.

Comments

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

have some cheese with that whine.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

Does the sign say NO PARKING 8AM TO 12PM? Was your car there between 8:00 and noon?

It's not like the sign is written in Sumerian.

I doubt anyone here will argue the absurdity of this offense being worthy of a $50 ticket, but your car was parked in the street sweeping zone and you knew it.

[ron_newman]

This was announced here a few days ago.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

IAWTC, totally.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Announcements, shmannouncements. There's no way that STREET SWEEPING is a $50-level offense. I've gotten parking tickets in BOSTON that were less than that.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

There's no way that STREET SWEEPING is a $50-level offense.

Obviously, you are wrong, because your ticket IS for $50.
Have you checked the city's regulations regarding parking, to see what the fine is?

And, hey, what's the time for no parking?
Oh, look, 8am to 12 pm.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

You know what works well? parking on the correct side of the street the day before street sweeping.

I even have it in my calendar, and have an iCal alarm scream and yell at me the night before just to remind me (even though I have a driveway now and have little concern for the sweeping).

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

I used to live in a neighborhood with street sweeping from 8a-12 noon, and once they did actually ticket me before 8 am. She was putting the ticket on my car as I was getting there to leave for work. Since she'd already issued the ticket, she couldn't retract it, so she told me to go contest it and they'd waive it, which they did.

[ron_newman]

In my neighborhood, I saw cars leafleted last week with notices that street sweeping will start April 1. I don't know if they did this throughout the city.

Also, if the city didn't ticket cars for this, you'd see even more complaints like these, from other residents who think the city should tow cars so that the streets can be properly cleaned.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Obviously you miss the point. The city could likewise say that the fine for obstructing street sweeping is $1,000,000. That wouldn't meant that the average citizen thinks of street sweeping as a $1,000,000-level offense.

I am not taking issue with getting a ticket really so much as I am with the rampant price gauging.

If the price of your favorite cereal went up 5X over the course of several years (say from $4/box to $20/box) wouldn't you be a little pissed? Hell, gas hasn't even gone up that much.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty pissed that cereal reaches or exceeds $4/box as it is.

But there's a huge difference between buying food or gas and getting a street sweeping ticket: you can avoid having to pay the street sweeping ticket, and pretty easily at that.

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Somerville!!
Welcome to Massachusetts!!
They'll get you any way they can. Sorry, but your idea makes too much sense to ever be considered.
And perhpas if you worked for the city or the state, your salary would have gone up 5x since 2000!!!
Seriously, though, they used to give you a grace period the first weeks of street cleaning. They'd put a reminder on your car instead of a ticket. I guess they realized they were losing too much revenue, because I'm sure they issue the most tickets in the first street cleaning of the spring season! Perhaps they're still trying to recoup some of the 'stolen' money from Traffic and Parking last year.

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

i bet if that was the fine y'all would have moved your fuckin cars.

..just sayin.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Then do something about it, like call your alderman.
Bitching about it here won't change the price of the ticket.

It was $40 in Boston in 2005.

And, what EVER makes you think it's based on inflation or anything, or even price gouging?
It's about deterrence.

Pissed about a $50 fine?
Don't leave you car parked during no parking times, that's the whole point.

In re the Boston decision to up the cost:
For many Bostonians, paying a $25 ticket for parking in the wrong place on street-cleaning days is a bargain, cheaper than a garage and easier than trolling for a new spot. But street-sweeping scofflaws, be warned: Your cost-benefit analysis is about to change.

It's all about deterrance.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the welcome ... I've lived in Massachusetts my whole life and Somerville for 8 years. I suppose this falls under the "I should have known better" category.

Honestly though? I've had a driveway the past few years. I parked on the street last night so a visitor could park in the driveway. I almost never park on the street anyway.

$50 is just out of control for a street sweeping ticket.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

Also, you can have the city email you a reminder the day before street sweeping. This helps to avoid the 2-day-in-a-row confusions.

[incontango.livejournal.com]

You pay for your driveway. Your visitor does not. Let them ride the thunder!

From,
A Selfish Jerk

[cutieperson]

that helps, but shouldn't be solely relied upon. i know my reminder email didn't come in for this one.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

The entitlement, it burns.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

Here's an idea for a compromise: No ticket, but the street sweeper runs over your car.

Me, I'd take the $50.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's *also* based on inflation, particularly the hugely increasing cost of health insurance; the city's limited by Prop 2.5 in how fast its tax base can increase without new construction, and there's very little space for new construction (except that industrial wasteland which city residents have been clamoring for an Ikea to be put on...oh, wait, they haven't). Tickets are probably one of the few really flexible areas of the city's revenue.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

FTW!

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

D'oh! That sucks. I've only used them starting last year, and they were pretty reliable. This sounds like a job for .... TOM CHAMPION!!!!!

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

HAAAAAAAAAA