Appealing a Parking Ticket

[glen-highland.livejournal.com]

My appeal of a bogus parking ticket was denied. 311 just told me that there is no other way to appeal it further and that it would need to go to the court system. Is this really true? (I have previously read posts on this forum where people suggest "you should appeal it again", etc..)
Thanks, Glen

Comments

[ron_newman]

Can you tell us what was bogus?

[glen-highland.livejournal.com]

I got a meter violation ticket, however I was not parked at a meter. There was a meter 1 car's length away that was presumably the meter in question. I took detailed photos. As if to rub it in, while I was taking photos, a car pulled up to the meter (with plenty of room to spare) and popped a few quarters in. I am still in shock that they rejected my appeal. I will probably just pay the $20... but waahhhhhhhhhh, I want justice :-)

[inahandbasket]

They seem to reject all appeals on principle.

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

hm, another poster in this very community (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1309486.html) seems to have found otherwise.

to the OP: call the alderman (http://www.somervillema.gov/Department.cfm?orgunit=ALDERMEN) from your ward, explain the situation, and ask whether anything can be done.

-steve

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

In fact, that poster's own appeal was immediately and roundly rejected - it was his post here in the DSLJ that roused the attention and suspicion on Tom Champion who got the alderman (alderperson?) involved.

[starry83.livejournal.com]

I've never tried the written process, but I've contested tickets in person twice and they've both been forgiven.

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

At least the ones we've heard of thus far. My worry is, at this point, that this sample (though tiny) does accurately represent the population, and that appeals are being rejected out-of-hand and without regard for the laws that the parking tickets are supposed to be enforcing.

This isn't even something we can solve with 'throwing the bums out' because these aren't elected officials, they're bureaucrats. If a single appeal (which is automatically rejected) is the only recourse for a $20 (or $50) before having to go to the courts, in Lowell, with a court cost of $240, how is this just?

[tomchampion.livejournal.com]

Don't pay just yet. Let me look into this.

(Usual disclaimer: I can't fix tickets. Indeed, I just paid one myself when I was 24 hours overdue on an expired resident parking sticker. I mean, it was SUNDAY, fer cryin' out loud! But it was legit -- or, as they say in the UK, "It's a fair cop.")

[glen-highland.livejournal.com]

Ok, thanks!

[apricot3.livejournal.com]

But on Sundays the residency shouldn't even apply!!

I was wondering if a No Parking sign could be put up on Somerville Ave near Porter where there's currently some construction going on- there is a corner where two cars can fit near Beacon St. I received a 20ft and later a Bus Stop violation here but I see people parking here all the time with no tickets; I had been parking here for several months with no problem, sometimes even overnight.

I had an appeal session last week and I found the guy to be extremely rude- he did not even look at the pictures i brought and kept talking over me in a very demeaning manner, he wasn't listening to me whatsoever. he made it seem as if i was extracting a great deal of effort for him to at the very least take off the late penalty fees when I complained that I had sent in a written contestation which I never received a response from- why make us bother to write out a complaint if nobody is reviewing them? At least in Cambridge you can fill out a form online and they send you a denial letter (two tickets in less than an hour at an expired meter, argh).

I had to ask him three times to clarify for me how far away you had to be from a Bus Stop (I guesstimate I was about 20ft) and he finally replied from the sign to the next intersection unless there are signs stating otherwise. He spat at me that this is "common sense," but I would still appreciate a sign at this location as it's obviously not clear to all of us :(