Renew your parking permit!

[dougo.livejournal.com]

So, my parking permit expired yesterday. I had forgotten all about it, because I was expecting to get a renewal form in the mail, but I never did. So I got a $50 parking ticket instead. The clerk at the parking office was not particularly sympathetic; she said that because I lived in an apartment building it probably got thrown out as junk mail. I guess it's possible, but I don't really buy it. Has anyone else gotten a renewal form in the mail in the last few months?

Anyway, consider this a friendly reminder to renew your parking permit now if your sticker has an 8 or 9 on it, or set up a reminder in Google Calendar or something for a month in advance of your expiration date. You can print out the form from the web site and mail it in: http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/forms/2008-11-TPPermit-Renewal-Ltr.pdf

Comments

[ron_newman]

I live in an apartment building and I get a renewal form every year, but my renewal is in March.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

I live in a two unit house, and I get my renewal every year. I start to keep an eye out a month or so before the permit expires. The permit expires on the month numbered with the parking area (in my case, I'm in area 5, so May).

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I thought you didn't have a car. Do they mail renewal applications to everyone in the city?

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

They mail renewal forms for visitor parking permits also.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

she said that because I lived in an apartment building it probably got thrown out as junk mail.

Seriously? Considering the number of apartments in Somerville, if this is the case to the point that the parking office's semi-official opinion is "hey, it looks like junk mail, what are you gonna do?" it seems that they should, oh, I don't know, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.

Not only are they wasting the city's money mailing out apps that they seem to expect to be thrown out as junk mail, they're causing citizens problems.

Of course, they are also making at least $50 per person who doesn't get their reminders and applications, so maybe they're doing it on purpose.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

maybe they're doing it on purpose

or maybe they're assuming that adults can pay attention to things like permit renewals, the same way people are expected to handle vehicle inspections which also come up annually (also with the big number right there on the windshield) and which you don't get a renewal form for.

Additional parking enforcement? Plausibly a revenue-builder. Expecting people to actually renew things when they're due? Not so much.

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

Our single family household got our renewal notice in June for our August permits. I sent the form and check on June 27 (glad I made a copy). We got the stickers and visitor passes around the first week of August. I did call in mid-July to find out what was up, because the check had not been deposited; that's when I was told that they process the August permits around last week July/first week August.

[arrowintwolakes.livejournal.com]

What I discovered when I renewed my permit this year is this: My previous apartment was in zone 5 and my current one is in zone 8, so I took a $50 ticket, knowing that I'd goofed, and used a guest pass/my driveway until I could get to the parking office. Now, I'm pretty lazy, so that ended up being around the beginning of June. I expected that, like when I renewed my guest pass, I would receive a prorated discount and then have to turn around and buy another pass in a couple months.

What I got instead was I paid full price and received my 2011 pass in June. So if you're really dodgy/paranoid about this, I would recommend going into the office and renewing your pass a couple months in advance.

Muv da carz plz, x2

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

In loosely related news: if you live northeast of the square (we are near the Brown School), "Bad Tuesday" (2nd/4th) and "Bad Wednesday" (1st/3rd) fall on consecutive days this month. Heads up.

Re: Muv da carz plz, x2

[arrowintwolakes.livejournal.com]

Ah jeez. Thanks. I hate when that happens.

Re: Muv da carz plz, x2

[rmd.livejournal.com]

yeah, i hate when that sort of thing happens. the days are monday and friday over here, and so in the right (well, wrong) sort of month i can't take a long weekend without having to stash my car.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Sept is a bad and crazy month for parking-tried to pay a ticket(actually 2:() and there was a line out the door!!!

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i don't think i've ever gotten a renewal form in the mail for my parking permit. (i remember to renew it before it expires, but i also wait until the end of the month to go to the traffic office because i'm a terrible procrastinator.) weird!

my guess would be either someone did accidentally throw yours out - possible but not highly likely - i mean, doesn't the renewal come in an official-looking city of somerville envelope? it's not going to look like junk mail - or it got lost in the mail.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I lived in Somerville from 2003-2007 and always got a renewal form in the mail, which is why I never bothered to remember. I will bother now.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

I've lived around Davis for 10 year with a car and I've never once received a renewal notice in any apartment.