parking tickets

[f22a]

Hi,

what if u park about 15 feet from a fire hydrant and then u get a ticket saying u parked within 5 feet. The next day and so on u take pics of cars parked in the same place and take it to the judge. the judge says that u should provide a pic having the exact time and date when the ticket was issued and then fines u the charge. how is it possible to be present at the same time to take a pic of ur car; would u not move it seeing that a ticket is going to be issued to u.

I believe much of the NYC system of charging parking tickets is tuned to squeeze as much money as possible from the motorist!

[wordsmith]

Chicago is much the same...it's completely a racket (the city takes care of the cops who take care of the towing and booting services who have contracts with the city...it's a business, everybody scratching everybody else's back, at drivers' expense). I once got ticketed there for supposedly parking where signs were posted that there was a street cleaning during the hours that I was parked there. Blatantly false. I took photos at the time, time and date-stamped, of my car and many others parked there, since there was no signage saying not to. I still didn't get out of the ticket. I fought it for about a year, eventually paid it, THEN they started sending me letters (I had moved from the city) saying I hadn't paid it. I sent them multiple copies of the cancelled check proving I had...they still keep sending me letters. This has been going on for more than five years. But, uh, my car could get booted anytime I'm parked in Chicago, because of this ongoing battle.

I also got a ticket for parking at and expired meter at metered parking RIGHT outside my front door, on a Sunday, when the meters are turned OFF and parking is FREE. That one DID get dismissed. But it just goes to show you, they'll try to stick you every time.

[and1grad]

In the last 2 months, I've gotten 2 tickets for being parked where I'm specifically permitted to park. Once they said they couldnt see all of my permit. The second time, the attendant wrote some absurd expiration date which I found funny b/c it made no sense whatsoever. Its DEFINITELY a racket.

[capella]

I once got a parking ticket at a friend's house for $200 for parking in a supposed handicapped zone that was completely unmarked. No sign at all, but a little VERY faded blue paint on the curb that I couldn't see at all becaue it was NIGHTTIME. I didn't even get a chance to fight it because I was out of the country on a study abroad trip when they finally decided to schedule a court date. A complete racket.