parking citations to get more expensive

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Wanna park illegally? You gotta pay more

Read the Somerville Journal article for the full scoop, but the salient details, as of Monday:

• The penalty for parking in the path of a street sweeper increased from $25 to $30


• On Aug. 12, the fines for street-sweeping violations will increase from $30 to $50


• Parking meter violation fines also increased from $15 to $20


• Parking in a bus stop will earn a $25 fine instead of $20.


• Handicapped parking violations will double from $100 to $200


• The distance residents must park their cars from street corners has increased from a minimum of 10 feet to minimum of 12 feet from a street corner, and the fine for violating the minimum distance from a street corner also increased from $20 to $30


• On Aug. 12, the fines for violating snow emergency parking rules will double from $50 to $100


• Fines for permit parking violations will also increase from $30 to $40


• Fines for parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, parking in a crosswalk or obstructing fire lanes will also go up from $30 to $50

*boggle* Those are pretty huge increases, all taken together. I'd really like to know what the "must park at least 12 feet from a street corner" thing is all about. Why is 10 feet not good enough anymore?

If I ever move from my current place, I'm not going to any house that doesn't have a driveway I can use. Jesus.

Comments

[kareila]

Something similar happened to me a couple of months ago. Did you appeal? I appealed and my ticket was dropped.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

I was going to, but I was busy with work and life and I forgot until it was too late. :(

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

i appealed a ticket once... i got a ticket for being in the same spot (right in front of my house) more than 48 hours straight, except that i actually had only been there for 34 hours.

when i appealed it, i brought in my paychecks to show that i work 40 hours a week in needham, and a movie ticket stub to show that i went to a movie in burlington (both places that you kinda need a car to get to), to show that there was no way i could have been there for 48 hours at a time, and the guy at the appeals office told me that i had no proof that i drove MY car to those places, but he'd "let this one slide" and "chalk it up to inexperience". what would be the point of owning a car if i could take somebody else's car to work?

i asked him how i could avoid this happening in the future and he said "you can't". so now even if the spot right in front of my house is open, i often park elsewhere so they won't ticket me again. that guy at the appeals office is an ass.

[kareila]

Wow, your experience was quite different from mine. The appeals officer I talked to was very considerate. I've also never been ticketed on the basis of the 48 hour rule; I often go a week without moving my car.