To self-serve and protect -- our own interests...

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know why the City would ticket Somerville's own residents for expired inspection stickers? -- Two tickets 3 days apart? If I owned a driveway, they would not have done this... Can't they stick to the spirit of protecting our residential parking spots from outsiders? How about a warning instead, or a friendly reminder? And then a few days to get a sticker...

And why do they ticket cars after the street cleaner has already passed? I don't get any of those tickets for that reason, but it seems silly to not be able to park after the cleaner has clearly already passed... Is anyone else interested in getting some of these unfriendly policies changed? Also, why do we pay an extra Internet fee to pay tickets and update parking passes for a service which clearly must save the city time and money from waiting on us in person? How does the city award the contract to an Internet company which is making so much money for so little service?

Does anyone have a list of local politicians that support these policies and another list of who would rather see changes made?

Thanks so much!

Comments

[keithn.livejournal.com]

The city actually only started doing this in 2011:

http://www.somervillema.gov/news/city-begin-writing-parking-tickets-expired-registrations-and-inspections

The money goes straight to the city and not the state. This seems pretty transparently designed to increase city revenue, especially given this line:

The new policy was approved during the City budget deliberation process in June and the violations will cost $50.

Notice budget deliberation and not safety deliberation. I can't imagine that going down each street on September 1 looking for expired August stickers is notably increasing city safety.

The city thanks you for your contribution, inkarn8.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Since it's a state-wide infraction, I didn't realize municipalities had leeway on whether or not to enforce it.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

Methods of increasing revenue that also improve citizen behavior and the citizen has a choice to take action to avoid being cited seem like the best revenue producers there are. If they got softer, people would be less likely to comply as fast.

That said, having been ticketed twice in a 24 hour period for not having an inspection on a 1 year old car I can sympathize with you that at some point it becomes double jeopardy. And it is for some reason a psychological injury to get a ticket, we all feel that way.

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

They could simply issue a warning first, at least to folks with local residential permits as a service to the community.. Then ticket later... Does anyone here believe that if we were a town of less than 100 people, that this would be an acceptable policy? This is a policy aimed at people we don't know... Maybe it is aimed at renters?

Also, my car is only a year old. I am not some repeat offender pumping fumes and particulates into the atmosphere...

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Saw that my neighbor had a warning on Sept. 2nd. They can certainly do it.

History of these decisions being made in the dark?

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Is there a history of this?

"The Somerville Chamber of Commerce broke the news the next morning. Egg, meet face. Total PR nightmare. Somervillains were equally angry over the changes themselves - the potential impact on business and quality of life - and the way they were made: by an appointed five-person body in the dark of night. Not even most aldermen knew.

It was "unacceptable," said Davis Square alderman Rebekah Gewirtz. "They should've had a public community process."" http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2010/06/by_danielle_dreilinger_globe_c_47.html