Vent Time

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

So, yesterday was the 1st wednesday of the month and I get a ticket for streetsweeping. Fine, I haven't gotten any in a while, no big deal. So, I come back from work and park on the other side. As I was leaving this morning, my roommate tells me "They're ticketing you" and I'm like, what the hell now, so I go down, and I realize today is the 2nd thursday of the month. So, I'm out $100 in the space of two days. I like having clean streets as much as the next guy, but if arranging them on back to back days isn't exploitative, I don't know what is. I'm calling my ward alderman.

Comments

ticket venting (ME TOO!)

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

ok - so complaining on the internet is pathetic... but at least the internet listens... ;-)

Went out to my car this morning, on the street where I have lived for 10 years, to the place where I (and others) have parked frequently, so see the familiar day-glo orange windshield wiper ornament.

== $30. for parking less than 20 feet from an intersection. Screw that - people have been parking there for years. This is a one-way street and I was well clear of the crosswalk and the handicap curb cut. Took a photo - definitely appealing this one - total selective enforcement: I see loads of cars parking in the same/similar spots all around town.

To cap it, I parked at a meter right after to run into the bank... and came out to find a ticket @ meter unpaid. Hell - I live here... heh.

Ok - that's lame but the 20 feet thing is absurd. If they plan to enfore that I want little day-glo stakes driven into the ground at each intersection indicating the 20 foot mark.

There, I feel better. Thanks for listening to me, internet. How was your day?

Re: ticket venting (ME TOO!)

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

If they plan to enforce that I want little day-glo stakes driven into the ground at each intersection indicating the 20 foot mark.

This is actually a very good point. The goal of these ordinances should be public safety, or clean streets, or whatever -- not to raise revenue. Assuming that is actually the goal, it's clear that these are not easy for people to comply with. It's almost never the case that someone parked somewhere illegally, knowing it was illegal, and then got a ticket and complained. People complain when it is too easy to screw up and not comply with the law even when they want to.

The orange stake solution is an example of real-world engineering being more effective than social engineering. It would probably work and make it genuinely easier for people to know if they were parked legally. When the only way to be sure you are parked legally involves a tape measure because average people can neither estimate 20 feet or tell exactly where to start measuring from, then enforcing that becomes exploitative. The solution is not for people to be scared and always park way further from the intersection than 20 feet -- the goal should be to make it clear exactly what you are trying to get people to do so that they can do that and everybody can get on with their business.

In my ideal world there would be some way for traffic officers to immediately contact the owner of the car and tell them to move it ASAP. If that sounds ridiculous, then maybe the goal isn't actually to make the car not be there after all.

Re: ticket venting (ME TOO!)

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

> == $30. for parking less than 20 feet from an intersection. Screw that - people have been parking there for years. This is a one-way street and I was well clear of the crosswalk and the handicap curb cut.

Me too! Same thing, same kind of street, I was probably 10-15 feet clear of the intersection, people have been parking there for years etc. And I couldn't appeal because that was right when I needed to renew my license and/or registration or something (stuff you can't do when you have unpaid tickets).

Every time I pass ANOTHER car not ticketed in that exact same spot, which actually is just about every day, I'm filled with rage. I actually understand the 20-feet-of-the-intersection rule, because of access for emergency vehicles and visibility for cars making turns etc. If I'd been ticketed just like anybody else, and it meant that corner was consistently clear so that if my house DOES catch on fire the truck can actually get on my street... but it's not. Ridiculous selective enforcement!

Plus I'm never exactly sure where 20 feet is. At the other end of the street there's a similarly confusing spot in between the corner and the fire hydrant -- it's just not big enough for someone to park there without being too near either the intersection or too near the fire hydrant. (And once in a great while I do actually see somebody ticketed in that spot.) But right there is a sign saying "Permit Parking Only (except during street sweeping etc)," which is really confusing -- ie why does it say "Permit Parking Only" if you can't park there at all?

If they're going to finally start enforcing the 20 feet rule after all these years of ignoring it -- which in theory I don't object to -- they need to a) be consistent and b) put up a bunch of damn "No Parking Here To Corner" signs.

Re: ticket venting (ME TOO!)

[fraterrisus]

you know, i feel like they used to paint the curbs yellow or orange or something to indicate "you're too close to an intersection/hydrant/no parking zone, don't park here".

now, walking around the city, i see the faded remnants of yellow curbs in places where people park all the time. i can understand how planting a pole at every intersection isn't a permanent solution, but if the city is doing sidewalk repair on a regular basis (and they seem to), it seems like they could keep the curbs painted yellow to mark off the 20' line.

i also get cranky at the not-all-the-time enforcement of the 20' rule. and clearly they do issue tape measures to the enforcement folks because the last time i got a ticket for that it was marked "18 1/2 ft".

more parking *%$#

[omacg.livejournal.com]

The 20 feet rule is something that I have been ticketed for as well. There are actually some really worn out markings on the curb here and there. And if I remember there was some situation with a fire (mentioned on in LJ) where the FD could not get where they needed and they talked about stricter enforcement.

The most outrageous rule is the 48 hour rule.
I paid my taxes for my car to the city, I went to the parking office during their really inconvenient hours and I paid for a permit. Despite all this I can't park on my street for 48 hours to take a trip or use public transport when I can what a crock.

Somerville loves to ticket someone told me they collected over a million dollars in tickets last year. I secretly dream of concerned citizens catching the parking officials and local politicians breaking some of these petty rules and calling a cop to ticket them.

Vent over!