48 hour resident parking rule

[robin bobo]

Hi,

I just got slapped with a parking ticket for leaving my car in one spot for 48 hours. (I am a resident.) I guess it was obvious from the snow piled on top of it.

But this just sounds like a bad law. Why would you want to incentivize people to move their cars every 2 days? I am not blocking thing, I am in a legal parking spot, no one is hurt by me leaving my car where I park it all of the time. If they have problem with me leaving snow on my car, then the law should be, "Residents must clear snow from car within 48hours of snow storm."

rb.

Comments

[willdasil.livejournal.com]

I believe that if you appeal you will be fine.

Good Luck!

Will

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

What are you smoking?

[willdasil.livejournal.com]

Feels like you never appealed in Somerville for a parking ticket. Last time I did the Clerk took 3 parking tickets off. It is about what you tell them. If she come up with a logic reason why she could not move the car they will take it off. Make sure you appeal Robin! By the way I don't smoke.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

As I learned from this forum a few years ago (confirmed by the one and only Tom Champion) the best way to appeal a ticket is NOT to actually file a written appeal; those will almost always be denied. Instead, let the timeframe for responding pass, and the city will send a reminder of the fine, along with a hearing date and time, to the house where the car is registered.

In my experience, and in many others who have posted here, doing this appeal in person leads to a higher likelihood (not a guarantee, of course) of tickets being overturned or changed.

The hearing is really just you and an administrator from T&P sitting in an office talking about what happened and why you think the ticket was in error or otherwise unfair. It might work, it might not, but if you can take an hour off from work fairly easily it's worth the trip.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Can you also just show up at the parking office with no appointment to talk to the hearing officer?

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

From my memory and experience, no. In fact, if I remember correctly, there are signs that say something to that effect in the T&P office (ie: "Appointment required for hearing officer hours" or something like that). However, that is stated without any basis in fact or policy so YMMV.

[pywaket.livejournal.com]

From the last time I was in there, I remember seeing something about drop-in hours, when anyone could go and wait in line for a hearing, however, I can't seem to find anything on the city's website about it. Either I'm not remembering this correctly, or possibly the policy has changed. Or it's just not publicized.

[robin bobo (from livejournal.com)]

I did previously fight a double-ticket-for-same-offense ticket slam. And had one of the tickets removed. For that, I felt I had a compelling case. ("I didn't know"+ "I didn't see first ticket" + second ticket came within 36 hours + I took immediate action on receipt of 2 tickets + it was unnecessary to give me 2 tickets for 1 offense.)

I am not sure i have a compelling case when the rule is to move your car every 48 hours, and clearly, with snow on my car several days after a snowstorm, I have not moved my car. I feel like "I didn't know" is an excuse they must have heard a trillion times, and won't convince them of much. I am left without recourse if Somerville simply elects to create and sometimes enforce stupid rules.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

The BoA considered changing/loosening this rule recently (see: http://somerville.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/somerville-parking-rule-one-alderman-calls-unwelcomin63950d4353). I don't know how far that got, as my limited search just brought up articles about the start of the conversation, not whether there were/are any next steps planned. Worth a note to your alderman.

And while it's a pain (I also utilize street parking, but have an insanely nice downstairs neighbor who lets me park at the back of the driveway when I'm out of town for a few days), it should be noted that this isn't uniquely Somervillian. In the last few communities I've lived in both in MA and on the west coast there were similar rules in place.