SolidlyStated

A parking attendant for the city of Indianapolis just cited every car along the street here. I came back from dinner on a patio just barely out of view to find pink tickets on the whole line of cars.

All the cars are parked 2 feet too far back for the small painted lines as shown, creating a perpetually offset street of parked cars that the city can conveniently cite all at once throughout the day.

So... opinions... is this valid? is this ethical?

To dispute it is an incredible hassle requiring an appearance in person downtown just to get a future date to go to court later.

Lifted07Sierra

Dont even try samething happened to me in LA but it was worse. My tire was ON the white line and I caught and talked to 3 different parking enforcers. They said the car no matter what has to be in the white lines.

I explained that it was the way the other vehicles are parked but they didnt care

saplumr

Pay the $5-10 ticket and move on.

davidtcpa

Looks legit, pay it and stop

indyjack18

Cars not in the space, pay ticket & call it a day.

SolidlyStated

So how should a parking scenario like this be properly handled?

Hundreds of people who drive by an empty spot with a meter should all just ignore it until enough cars leave to park completely in their painted lines? While that is probably the *technical*, I hardly find it follows the spirit of parking ordinances, which should be to provide efficient and safe parking.

These spaces in particular were in constant turnover, each new car car getting a ticket because the spots are all offset by a couple feet. If drivers were continually expected to examine the space in detail while in traffic, it would immediately become an unsafe, congested situation (attention drawn away from the road, drivers stopping traffic, repeatedly pulling in and out of these faux spots).

Vette5.5

It's a non moving violation, so just pay it and move on. Got a speeding ticket a few years a few years ago, and the cop was a really good guy, even reducing the speed. Was just going to pay it, but decided on a court date, seeing if I could get the points dropped, never disputing paying the fine. Its getting tougher on this, but they agreed, The cop has the final word here though, and pays to be courteous.

fnsblum

This falls in the category : It ain't right but it is so. I would bite the bullet and pay it. Later! Frank

Wayne O

It might be an exercise in futility but if you feel strongly about the principle of the matter contest the charge. Do your homework...research parking ordinances and applicable case law beforehand. Realize though it's not about justice, common sense or what is 'right.' It's about money. If you decide the fight the ticket let us know how it goes and good luck.

keyplyr

Don't know about Indianapolis, but parking tickets in San Diego *start* at $85.

IMO the ticket is just. You (and everyone else) were not parked within the designated boundaries, period. However I know how irritated you must feel since you were probably a victim of circumstances. But I guess you did have the option of not parking there.

brooklync5

It's bs but is a legit ticket. Pay it and take it on the chin.

SolidlyStated

The tickets in this case are only $20 and I don't care about the money, but the principle of the matter is very important to me.

Legislators sit around for hours discussing these ideas in minute detail and then dictate to citizens how its going to be, and yes I am sure its all about money. People, however, have the right to speak up and cause change. This very street has been the focus of a widely publicized 'predatory towing' outcry this summer, forcing lawmakers in the city to enact swift regulations.

Cars come in all shapes and sizes and as long as each one can fit in a spot clearly associated with a meter, it should be allowed. Hundreds of drivers aren't going to simply stop and then pass-by a perfectly sound looking parking spot. The city shouldn't be indiscriminately punishing all of them, it should adapt to the people they serve.

This is just like recent news articles I have read where law enforcement officers shut down some little girls' lemonade stand in their front yard because of no concession permits. While *technically* true, the public got angry about it, the city apologized, and let the girls sell lemonade.

4thC4at60

Question? You parked within the delineated lines?

Yes? Fight it.

No? Pay the fine and shut up.

SolidlyStated

Who the **** are you to talk to me that way?

ClipperFan

unless you have a lot of free time, forget it...........

Russell ZR1

you are asking all of us what to do, but you just answered your own question...i hear that cities and municipalities are cutting funds for important things around the city cause they are short on money...

i say, go ahead and take it to court so the local court system can spend even more money, that they don't have, to hear your excuse, and find you guilty anyways so you feel better about your principle.

i look at it this way, i feel you are making a donation to the city to help them out with there money woes, and then when you are done doing that, why don't you go by the local elementary school and cut a check as a donation, so they can buy pencils and books for the kids can learn, i hear the schools are cutting back too...

why don't you put it in perspective, the money you waste of the cities also effects the other residence in that city.....

longboy4

....I think you should go down and fight it. Hire a 3 piece suit to represent you. You have the time to hang out at the courthouse.....they have TV's on the wall as you wait 3 hours for your case to be called and maby you can make a purchase on the Home Shopping Network. Cuzz after all you did research the law about parking within the lines after the ticket was issued.....you know you have a good chance of telling them about this kinda rip-off.....you can even use the ole standbye....."everyone else was doing it"....now.....isn't that worth your time and money? You can even tell em, "Wait till the next election"! This is most certainly going to breed fear and rath coming from you as a citizen.

Sibcoe

Well, I agree the ROI on fighting this is minimal to negative. However, I just want to shout out and say, hey, it starts with small things and next you know, your rights are flushed down the toilet. Don't be so quick to side with stupidity in governance just because it is easy.

The amount of rights being eroded today and shelved due to "other issues" is scary, and there is no need to encourage our local governments to further impose non-sensical measures to offset poor financial management.

I dont want to start a rant, but sometimes the principal is important, not because of today, but because of what it will lead too tomorrow.

bolivar

Reminds me of the time I got a letter in the mail telling me I had ignored a $5 parking ticket and it was now $10 (or something like this - it was a long time ago). I had not found any ticket under my wiper. A kid probably pulled off and threw it away knowing it would cause me more trouble. If I had gotten the ticket, I would have paid it.

I thought I would take my sweet, innocent face down to the court and see if I could get it kicked back to the original $5 (might have been $2. It was a while back.) I signed in and sat in the court waiting my turn. Then a city worker was called up. He was charged with driving a ratty, POS city garage truck across a narrow bridge TOO SLOW. A city policeman had ticketed a fellow city worker for driving a huge truck TOO SLOW. And the city judge said GUILTY!!!!!

This is in a small town, probably about 20,000 people, where the 'rush hours' lasts about 15 minutes in the morning and night. This truck probably delayed less than 5 cars across this bridge.

Seeing this, I fled the courtroom! If there was no compassion a fellow city worker, I knew what my verdict would be!

Gerdia

Fight it!!! you obviously feel very strongly about it and if I felt that way I would fight it.good luck