I got another ticket today. Right on top of the note I left explaining the situation. I understand that the parking enforcement people are doing their job. But if I can get a ticket for failure to register my car because they've noticed it parked there for a while with non-DC tags, why can't they also notice that it's been registered for a few months, they've suddenly changed the rules for parking without telling anyone, and cut me a break?
Apparently paying attention from day to day only works when you're trying to bleed the taxpayers. This is now six tickets in DC, including one before I moved here that was my fault (I misread a sign that was pretty clear, I'm not really sure what my problem was). Do you know how many parking tickets I've gotten in the entire rest of the planet? One. I went to Blacksburg to pick up my brother from Virginia Tech and got a ticket on campus. I parked illegally, figuring I wouldn't be there long.
So, on one hand, we have twelve-plus years of driving and parking in Maryland and Virginia. One ticket. In less than two years of parking in DC, I have six. It is abundantly clear who is at fault here.
I don't park illegally. I don't double park, I don't block hydrants, I don't park in front of driveways. But six tickets. It's mind-boggling.
I'm going to ask the wife to help me contest these two tickets, and I'm going to send a copy to our councilmember. He's all about the ineffectual but flashy solutions to problems. Maybe he'll give me a "get out of parking tickets free" card or something without addressing the underlying problem that this city needs to figure out a new way to combat parking and revenue issues.
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I had a very similar
I had a very similar experience:
I moved into the neighborhood in February. One day in April I drove down to the inspection station in southwest DC, getting lost in Anacostia for about 15 min. I failed to pass inspection, due to said taillight & was given 20 days to replace it.
I drove home, parking in the same spot & went in to pack for a trip. Two hrs later I went out to move my car & discovered I had a parking ticket! Apparently, my car was observed at 7:02 a.m. & ticketed at 9:20--I had parked in the same spot upon returning from inspection center!
I was going to use the inspection failure papers to petition the ticket, but when I went back for reinspection, they kept the failur papers!
Then last week I finally got a letter--forwarded from my old address in Silver Spring!--stating that my petition had been rejected, but that I could petition for an additional fee of $10.00. At that point I gave up, and sent them a check for the cost of the ticket--$30.00.
You win this time, DC parking nazis!
Maryland parking enforcement
Maryland parking enforcement will chalk your tire to prevent that (Unless you manage to park in the same spot with your tires in approximately the same position). Maybe chalk is more expensive in DC . . .
Guests I had just got a
Guests I had just got a ticket for exceeding the "two hour" limit in Zone 2. They arrived at
8:45-ish am. Just after 9, I saw our friendly, neighborhood Parking Enforcement officer (PEO)
issuing a ticket. I walked outside to tell him that they'd just arrived - he sees fit to yell,
wave his ticketing device in my face - but after repeating 27 times, "They just arrived at 8:45"
he doesn't issue the ticket, but yells, "I GOT YOUR INFORMATION"... What does this mean?
A few minutes later, my guests and I hop in their car and drive to Rockville, and return about
11:30 am. (Note at this point: Guests' vehicle has been parked in Zone 2 apx 35 minutes).
The PEO issued at ticket at 11:54 for exceeding two-hour limit. How is this possible? Well,
call DPW for an explanation of the convoluted two hour parking limit rule. The "INFORMATION" he
yelled about was collected at 9:19 am. The ticket was issued at 11:54, which exceeds 2 hours.
See as explained by DPW, once you leave the Zone, you forfeit the two hour window. Ain't that
some horse****...
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