Fire Zone unmarked on Elm St

[sunnyschettler.livejournal.com]

Hello, first posting here so please be kind...
Am I the only occasional driver who has been caught in the ticket-trap that is at Elm/Bowers Ave corner? It's right in front of the bank next to Goodwill. On the very rainy Monday we just had I parked at the corner to run in two bags of Goodwill items. Two minutes later I was slapped with a $100 FEE ticket for parking in a Fire Zone.

The zone is marked only with a sign, not a red curb, and I mistook the sign as a simple No parking from here to corner sign. I can't afford a $100 ticket and will contest it in the public hearing. Has anyone else done this successfully, and if so, how? Should I take pictures of the signage and e-mail them to the city for instance, or just bring them to the hearing?

Thanks for any help or insights, -Sunny

Comments

Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[sunnyschettler.livejournal.com]

Can I be for mercy at the "Hearing in Person" for my citation, having stopped for only 4 minutes to drop off Goodwill items in a downpour where I did not A.) see the sign or B.) see anything in the pouring rain as I darted to and from the car.

Thanks for the back-story on Magoun Sq and the Fire Chief actions there. It's certainly not like me to cause peril to a city or building owners by leaving my car in a bad spot (albeit at the corner of a very small One_Way street - Bowers Ave - that would never have trucks on it...). I would never have left it there had I seen the Fire Zone sign.

Ironically, I only stopped to write the ~$60 value donation receipt and that was when the Parking Demon descended on my ill-parked car and slapped a $100 fine for less than 5 mins of parking.

Re: Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[red-liner.livejournal.com]

Yep, there's not a driver in town who hasn't missed something dumb like this....one morning I parked smack in front of an apartment building's driveway and didn't notice; it didn't work out well or cheaply. We all feel your pain.

Just had to say, though - the person who put the ticket on your car is just that, a person and not a demon. They have a job to do, a job that affects public safety and could affect yours or your loved ones' someday, and they did it properly. As much as it stings when you're on the receiving end, this is a sign of a system that's working.

I hope the hearing goes well - and honestly, if you tell the judge what a great job the enforcement person did and how thankful you are as a citizen for their diligence, it might help your cause.

Re: Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[ron_newman]

However, Goodwill is a non-profit asset to the city, and the city should encourage, not discourage, people from donating things there. Even if it means blocking a fire lane for 2 or 3 minutes.

(Isn't a fire lane the same thing as a loading zone, anyway?)

Re: Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[sunnyschettler.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ron. I appreciate the comment. I think the city should support Goodwill donations also, and not act as vigilantes on that tiny, poorly marked Fire Lane. Parking there for less than five minutes should not result in a $100 unless there truly was danger/hazard from the drop-off.

And like I said, it was POURING rain at the time. I normally park in the Public Lot when doing drop-offs, but this one was A.) QUICK and B.) NOT during a time for high fire danger.

I often think of a fire lane as a specialized kind of loading zone, but they are different, and I wouldn't call them synonymous in the hearing. No way.

Re: Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[red-liner.livejournal.com]

That's a wise strategy for your hearing. Fire lanes and loading zones are opposites. A loading zone is a place where trucks or cars are encouraged to park, albeit temporarily, while a fire lane is an especially emphatic "no parking" area.

Re: Well, yes, I hope they'll go easy on me

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Even if it means blocking a fire lane for 2 or 3 minutes.

The thing about permitting any blocking of fire lanes for any length of time is that it completely defeats the purpose of the fire lane. The fire doesn't wait until people are done with their three-minute errand, and if 50 people each block a fire lane for a couple of minutes, the fire lane is blocked for a couple of hours.