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

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know why the City would ticket Somerville's own residents for expired inspection stickers?

Because it's illegal to have an uninspected vehicle on the street. State, not city, law. I've gotten nailed by this when parked in a different city when I had an expired ticket.

[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.

[ron_newman]

How much is the fee for paying parking tickets online, and for buying permits online?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Consider yourself lucky you weren't ticketed for the expired sticker while driving.

[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...

[richls.livejournal.com]

Better than getting the ticket while you're driving as a moving violation... Consider yourself lucky. Not only do they ticket you and fine you, but they also make you get out of your car and have it towed, which is an extra $100 cash straight into the pocket of the tow company. It doesn't make sense that they treat you this way for a 1-day expired sticker, but speeding, texting and even plowing through red lights don't get that kind of treatment.

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Why, would that also be a moving violation which would raise my Insurance rates..? I believe I have seen a warning issued that way, probably because it was a fairly recent expiration...

[richls.livejournal.com]

Yes, it also raises your insurance premiums.

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Is it illegal to drive or park without an inspection? Or both... You know what else is illegal in some communities? High interest rates on pay day loans. Illegal in some communities and legal in others... Take Texas for instance: "AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — Come next March, Texas drivers will no longer be required to have an inspection sticker on their windshield.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is getting rid of inspection stickers. You still have to get an inspection, but that inspection will become tied with your registration." http://kxan.com/2014/06/24/texas-to-no-longer-require-auto-inspection-sticker/

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Actually, I just paid for these two tickets and there was no fee. Maybe that has changed, or I had a ticket for another town which does charge fees... It has been a while..

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

I can't see that going over very well or for very long anywhere.. People with recently expired inspection tickets probably get a warning in most instances... Instead, I consider myself unlucky to not have the same inspection sticker policy here as in Texas.. "If your registration expires before your current inspection, a DMV spokesperson says you will still be allowed to register during the transition without an additional inspection.

Department of Motor Vehicles Director Whitney Brewster told a Senate panel Monday that separate stickers will no longer be needed for the inspection and auto registration. A single sticker will be proof of both." http://kxan.com/2014/06/24/texas-to-no-longer-require-auto-inspection-sticker/

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

My wife has been wanting a curb-cut in order to add driveway to our property. This, along with the advent of electric cars has convinced me that is probably a good decision and time to pursue that...

[ron_newman]

I'm not really understanding your reference to payday loans, or how their interest rates are regulated by towns, or what that has to do with parking regulations?

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

Unless things have changed significantly from a couple years back, any approval for a curb cut requires that there be more off-street parking created than the curb cut removes from on-street parking (so, no one-car driveways). There may be other restrictions, but I don't know about those.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

People with recently expired inspection tickets probably get a warning in most instances.

Want to take that bet? See above regarding ticket, insurance jump, and tow.

Want to not get a ticket for expired inspection? Get it inspected on time!

I mean, with the other crooked ticketing tricks the city pulls, complaining about this one is picayune.

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Of course not... It was a response to "Because it is illegal..." I am referring to the policy choices of communities... and how they make those choices... Are they democratized choices or were they made behind the scenes?

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

Would all the citizens of Somerville agree with this new policy? Would they agree to ticket themselves for not having an inspection sticker immediately? Would it help or hurt to know that other municipalities have decided not to do this? I also don't get the line at the website that states: "Other municipalities such as Boston, Worcester, Lynn, Revere and Brookline also issue parking tickets for expired registrations and inspections. - See more at: http://www.somervillema.gov/news/city-begin-writing-parking-tickets-expired-registrations-and-inspections#sthash.9h5b6ehE.dpuf"

Well if Brookline does it, I guess that makes it alright, and somehow that is suppose to be a better argument than "Because it is Illegal....."

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

Did you get a curb cut? I am not surprised...Can anyone else here verify that? So you have to be able to park more than one car to do it? Maybe we can get that changed for people who want to be able to charge their electric cars? Anyone here have any experience with getting policies changed locally? Maybe something more like this:

"California Bill Allows Renters To Install Electric-Car Charging Stations"
"Governor Brown’s goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2025 just got a boost. Assembly Bill (AB) 2565 will allow renters to install electric-car charging stations." http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/31/california-bill-renters-install-electric-car-charging-stations/

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

because they have the option to tow your vehicle ($$$), impound and store it ($$$), legally break into it ;P (damage, theft for which they are not responsible of course), points, and many fees to get your stuff back, bleah bleah bleah.

#

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

I mean, with the other crooked ticketing tricks the city pulls

Please tell...
I guess it is not just about this one little issue.. , If they are doing this, they must be doing more...
Also, do we know which local politicians support this kind of stuff? And which don't?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Considering Texas' record with removing oversight for safety related stuff (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/us/lack-of-oversight-and-regulations-blamed-in-texas-chemical-explosion.html), they might not be the best place to emulate.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

I assume it'll involve some kind of approvals as well in the case of non-conforming properties (which - as near as I can tell - is 90% of somerville residential properties).

[inkarn8.livejournal.com]

One thing doesn't have anything to do with the other... I agree, some of their policies suck, maybe even most of their policies; especially the ones enacted under the same deregulation leadership you mentioned.. ... But this is a good one.. It prevents towns and other NGO's from taking advantage of citizens and the inspection process... And it doesn't remove any oversight... Also, giving somebody a warning first or creating a policy that doesn't auto-charge a fee right off the bat is not the same as 'removing oversight'...

like this: Law enforcement cracks down on inspection sticker ticket fraud Why towing company owners think they can burn vehicle owners over the expired inspection or registration sticker, is a sign of their desperation. The state law hasn't changed since it's creation that regulates this issue. http://texasparkingfacilityfraud.blogspot.com/2013/08/motorists-statewide-targeted-in.html

This reminds me... Doesn't Somerville only use one Towing company? How does that work? Pat's I believe.. seems like a cozy relationship.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

When I spoke to a developer about this, he said for any property that doesn't already have a driveway, getting permission for a curb cut is pretty trivial, and one-car driveways should be fine. I've never verified that or tried to do it myself, however.