yet another parking ticket post

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping for some pointers on fighting this one. I got a notice in the mail the other day claiming I hadn't paid a parking ticket from the beginning of May. Well, considering I never GOT one, I can see why I never paid it.

But I know that won't help me any. However, I know for a fact that the night and time and place where I supposedly earned this ticket, I had a visitor permit in my car window. Now it's not like I have a picture with a date stamp to prove this, of course, but I could get the exact address and permit # of the person who has the permit I used. Heck, I could have 6 people vouch for my whereabouts and that I was using it even. But how much of this do I need to successfully contest this ticket (which never appeared on my windshield to begin with)? Or will none of it matter, and I'm stuck with this thing regardless even if I go in to my contest the ticket hearing with all of that or some of that?

Anyone know what exactly I might need to have this thing nixed, or am I indeed screwed? Thanks in advance!

Comments

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

did you have any expired Somerville sticker permits in your windows, in addition to the visitor permit? A friend of mine got a ticket b/c the officer saw the expired sticker permit, and never looked for a visitor permit.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

I do have an old one in my window, actually, yeah. But I do know I had the visitor permit there as well. Hopefully they don't make a fuss about that, since an expired permit wasn't on the ticket.

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

that's exactly what happened with us. My friend went in and explained the situation, and it was determined that the guy who gave her the ticket never even SAW the visitor pass.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem. I got a letter in January saying I hadn't paid a ticket I got in September. I, too, had never actually RECEIVED a ticket, and I know for a fact that I had a visitor permit displayed as my boyfriend at the time was very diligent about meeting me at the curb with it.

I showed up at the time listed on the letter to contest it, very calmly explaining the facts. I also brought the permit numbers with me, stating it would have been one of these two that would have been displayed.

I'm going to take a wild shot and guess you might have out of state tags. I did, and I feel I was probably targeted because of it.

They've been doing this for awhile - never physically issuing a ticket and just waiting until it escalates (with extra fines, of course, for having not paid it first time around) and forcing us to pay more money. Still irritates me to no end.

Good luck - just remember to stay polite when talking to them!

(As a side note, they agreed to dismiss this ticket but then I got a douchebaggy letter saying that while they were waiving the fees this time, they felt the ticket had been issued correctly. IF SO, THEN I SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED IT. D:< )

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

I have MA plates, actually, but either way it's irritating that they never issued a ticket and that's apparently a pattern showing up. Not cool!

Thanks for the info and advice--gives me hope that having the exact address & permit #s could help. Although still annoying I'll have to take time off of work to fight the damn thing.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's been a definite pattern. When it happened, my ex's roommates said they'd seen it happen to others. It's really unethical, IMO, which is what pisses me off the most.

[simianpower.livejournal.com]

My advice: move out of Somerville and boycott their businesses. It worked for me. I haven't had a single bullshit parking ticket since I did that. Somerville is a city that's punitive toward its own residents and customers. I still do visit occasionally, but I try to have my Davis Square friends meet me in Arlington instead these days.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

Well, I live in JP, so I already avoid it on that front. But yes, because of their attitude wrt parking/tickets, I give the Davis Square area a wide berth unless I'm taking the T up there to meet friends.

[dilllll.livejournal.com]

As a West Somerville resident, I applaud and thank you for your decision to not take your car or business into our lovely city (one of the most densely populated in the US). Even though it's only one less car in the city, it makes my various trips by bike, foot, or even zipcar just the slightest bit nicer. Please, keep at it; perhaps together we can keep West Somerville from turning into the car-oriented wasteland that is East Somerville!

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

car-oriented wasteland that is East Somerville!

Wow, when was the last time you were in East Somerville?

My gf doen't drive, and she has no problem getting around the area, and to work, without a car.

I know it's the hinterlands of the downtrodden low class who aren't privileged enough to all own bikes or have telecommuting jobs, but you really should try looking at all the bus routes in the area.

[dilllll.livejournal.com]

I was last there a few weeks ago (trip to Home Depot). Sure, you can get around, but is it actually *pleasant* to visit? I stand by my claim that it's a wasteland, and I'll argue that it's due to the focus on 93 and car throughput more than anything else.

I've lived in places with the "downtrodden low class" that have been infinitely more pleasant to spend time in than East Somerville, because the primary mode of transit has been subway and walking rather than driving everywhere. More pleasant other than the apartment and laundromat robberies, that is.

[veek.livejournal.com]

I tend to be a stickler about not paying tickets I don't think I deserved. As a result, I've had quite a few of them dismissed, in two states and several municipalities; and never *ever* did they do it gracefully. They always send a letter proclaiming their magnanimity and telling me I'm still wrong even if they don't charge me for it.

Yeah, irritating. But it seems to be part of their form letter.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

The lady I talked to when getting this handled was quite understanding and polite, so I was pretty irritated when I got their self-righteous douchebaggy letter. I pretty much make it a rule now to never ever park in Somerville unless it's in off-street parking. This means I don't go up there nearly as often as I would otherwise.

Their loss, although I am sad I only get Dave's Fresh maybe once every six weeks now...

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

i'm pretty sure someone else posted about the douchebaggy letter and it's standard - the ticket they received was issued incorrectly even! but it's just some standard thing people get i guess that basically says, we'll do it *this* time, but don't think you'll always get your way!

it's bs, and like it would kill them to have more than one form letter, but still. i might be bored enough to go look for the post :D you're not alone anyway.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

It's really a crock of shit. Because of the way I've seen them treat their own residents, I don't think I could ever live in Somerville. It's a shame, too, because I really like the area but it's just - everyone seems to live in fear of being ticketed. :\ And those who don't either have off-street parking or don't own a car.

Of course, I suppose it's just too much to ask for a city office to admit when they're wrong.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

Or lower the parking w/o a permit violation to something more reasonable than $50. :P

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

at least it's not like cambridge where you'll get towed.

honestly, if they're going to be dicks, i'd rather my car at least be there when i get back to it.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Cambridge doesn't tow for resident permit violations. They tow for street cleaning, snow emergencies, and emergency (cardboard) no parking signs.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

unless you already have three tickets ;)

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

http://www.cambridgema.gov/traffic/bootedvehicle.cfm says if you have 5 or more tickets which are more than 21 days old, your car will be booted. After 3 days with the boot, it will be towed.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

right. to me that's basically the same thing - you can't drive your car. it might as well not be there. i've had it happen after less than 5 though.

and still, they tow for street cleaning and i've even had my car towed once for an expired registration parked in a permit spot.

obv not saying i was in the right for any of these, but cambridge is very tow-happy and if i had to choose, i'd take ticket happy over ticket AND tow happy!

[gruene.livejournal.com]

You're overacting and generalizing too much. Every single interaction I've had with the staff of the City of Somerville has been friendly and helpful, I have not had a bad experience. It sounds like you also had a good experience with the city staff. I've owned a car in Somerville for six years and sure I've gotten a ticket or two, but I didn't have a conniption. Without enforcement, it would be much tougher for residents to find parking on their streets, which would be snowed in during winter and trashy strewn the rest of the year. The parking regulations and their strict enforcement make Somerville a nicer place to live.

[freckles42.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's fair to devalue a genuinely frustrating experience. You're attempting to derail with words like "overreacting" and "conniption" when I'm certainly NOT having the latter and don't feel the former applies.

I have no issues with individual city staff members, but I think it's also becoming evident that there are completely dishonest practices going on.

I also have no beef with the rules themselves - but when I can't be certain that I won't be ticketed when following their own rules, I think I have a very valid reason to be upset with their policies. This entire post is filled with peoples' experiences that all seem to point to dishonesty with the system.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

The parking regulations and their strict enforcement make Somerville a nicer place to live.

What about those tickets that were issued erroneously, but the city lies to cover their ass - does that make the city a better place to live?

Seriously - we have ample evidence that the city does NOT care if their PCO's are doing the right thing or not, and doesn't really care about some of their stated objective for certain parking restriction except as a way to generate revenue.

How does that make the city better?

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Cambridge doesn't have snow emergency restrictions on most residential streets, while Somerville bans parking on one side of every street. Do you find Cambridge to be snowed in during the winter?

[gruene.livejournal.com]

I don't live in Cambridge or typically park on residential streets there, so I can't really comment, but I have noticed that the streets there get fairly disgusting when its close to street sweeping time, since they sweep half as Somerville does.

[zaarwin-devolve.livejournal.com]

everyone seems to live in fear of being ticketed.

Ummm, I've lived here for almost two years and don't live in fear of getting ticketed. I've received only one and that was my own fault for not moving on a sweeping day. I live in more fear of the mongoloids who can't drive through the streets without hitting side view mirrors.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Do you know what mongoloid means?

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/2235243.html

(that was easier and more recent than i expected, heh!)

so yeah, i was going to say to the OP, contest it, they'll probably throw it out, just try not to say anything but "thank you" when they inevitably give you some line about "but next time..."

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

They always send that letter, it's basically bureaucratese for "we're not promising to wave future tickets". Which doesn't make it any less dickish, mind you.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

A few years ago, my boyfriend had the exact same thing happen to him. (Including not actually getting the first ticket, just the notice in the mail.) When he went to contest it and said that he'd been visiting me, they looked me up in the computer, saw that I was a real resident of that block, and waived the ticket. But I don't know if they'll do the same for you...

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping. Thanks!

[kimmercake.livejournal.com]

Ugh, bunch of bullshit. Sorry Kater, good luck!

[unferth.livejournal.com]

I don't have any solid advice, except that I've heard claims that appeals in person usually go better than appeals by mail. But as a bit of encouragement - I've always found the rank-and-file staff at Traffic and Parking quite pleasant and helpful. I don't approve of their higher-ups recent decisions, but everyone I've ever dealt with at Holland Street has exceeded my expectations.

Anecdotes are not proof, of course, but just last week I got a pair of tickets dismissed - one for parking within twenty feet of an intersection, then one from a week later for parking within ten feet of a hydrant. I live in a corner, so parking in front of my house far enough from the hydrant puts me within twenty feet of the intersection. Ticket #1 meant I moved my car a few feet down, so the rear end of it was just barely past the "permit parking" sign. Which got me the hydrant ticket. The substance of my appeal was basically "come on, this sucks." Which worked.

It is probably worth getting the address and permit number; I think the clerks like having something specific to put in the files.

As for never getting it - well, it's only speculation, but I've often seen tickets in the gutters. I usually blame high winds for it.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

one for parking within twenty feet of an intersection, then one from a week later for parking within ten feet of a hydrant

If they'd simply mark these two sort of locations, they actually increase the safety they claim to be protecting.

That they refuse to mark them indicates what their real motivation is.

[unferth.livejournal.com]

In my case it wouldn't help much - the space in front of my house doesn't have room for a normal car without infringing on one of those limits, so it's a question of what (if anything) is unofficially tolerated by the people who write the tickets rather than what is unambiguously legal. The twenty feet from the intersection rule, in particular, is something I routinely see violated and not ticketed - which means when I do get one of the rare tickets for it, it's more irritating than when I legitimately screw up and get myself ticketed.

But, yes, it does seem revenue-related. And I, for one, would prefer to just see excise taxes on cars raised rather than have unpredictable ticket shakedowns. (I'd rather not have either, of course, but I'd take the excise tax as the lesser evil.)

[squirrelitude]

Whatever you do, do NOT use the online contesting thing. Go in person, with evidence.