Parking in Cambridge
I forgot to put my permit in the window last week and I got a $30 ticket. In a fit of efficiency, I paid that and the other unfair tickets I'd gotten in Somerville recently. I just didn't have the energy to argue. One was the day of the fire. I pulled up to a spot in Davis Square and it had a big sign on the meter that said "Broken."
When I got back five minutes later with The Boy, the sign was gone and I had a ticket. WTF on SO many levels? What kind of cheapskate would bother to tape a sign on a working meter? I went to go put my money in, saw the sign and went on my way.
Another I got while trapped in the waiting room for two hours at Cambridge Health Alliance. They're usually not that bad, but that time they really screwed up. They had this new computer system that makes them sit there and type while they talk to you instead of jotting down illegible notes. It's very distracting. I was afraid I'd lose my spot if I went out to feed the meter, so I just waited, and lo and behold I had a parking ticket. I just paid that one too.
I have this paranoid theory that all the departments in the City of Somerville are connected and that if I start balking over parking tickets, the Building Department will drag out my inspections, and we need four of them just to complete the foundation. So, I gave into the paranoia and paid the tickets.
Now we've got to start fighting with the City of Cambridge because I got another ticket yesterday for parking for more than 3 days with a visitor permit. We were granted a waver on 7/20 for 30 days to park without hassle. I guess in the People's Republic 30=20. We're checking on that. This one I will fight because I'm stuck here until at least 9/9 (our best estimate move-in date) and I need my car during that whole time because of my knee. It's doing better, but I still hurt after doing stairs and I still can't stand for long periods of time. But at least it's moving in the right direction.
I forgot to put my permit in the window last week and I got a $30 ticket. In a fit of efficiency, I paid that and the other unfair tickets I'd gotten in Somerville recently. I just didn't have the energy to argue. One was the day of the fire. I pulled up to a spot in Davis Square and it had a big sign on the meter that said "Broken."
When I got back five minutes later with The Boy, the sign was gone and I had a ticket. WTF on SO many levels? What kind of cheapskate would bother to tape a sign on a working meter? I went to go put my money in, saw the sign and went on my way.
Another I got while trapped in the waiting room for two hours at Cambridge Health Alliance. They're usually not that bad, but that time they really screwed up. They had this new computer system that makes them sit there and type while they talk to you instead of jotting down illegible notes. It's very distracting. I was afraid I'd lose my spot if I went out to feed the meter, so I just waited, and lo and behold I had a parking ticket. I just paid that one too.
I have this paranoid theory that all the departments in the City of Somerville are connected and that if I start balking over parking tickets, the Building Department will drag out my inspections, and we need four of them just to complete the foundation. So, I gave into the paranoia and paid the tickets.
Now we've got to start fighting with the City of Cambridge because I got another ticket yesterday for parking for more than 3 days with a visitor permit. We were granted a waver on 7/20 for 30 days to park without hassle. I guess in the People's Republic 30=20. We're checking on that. This one I will fight because I'm stuck here until at least 9/9 (our best estimate move-in date) and I need my car during that whole time because of my knee. It's doing better, but I still hurt after doing stairs and I still can't stand for long periods of time. But at least it's moving in the right direction.
posted by Margaret at 7:28 AM
2 Comments:
I feel your pain. I used to live outside of San Francisco, and there was a huge problem with parking tickets there. They'd claim to have "street cleaning" (but the same trash would be there for weeks -- they never cleaned a thing), and then if your car was parked there during those times, you'd get slapped with a $60 ticket. And if it happened twice, they'd tow your car without warning.
You can have your license suspend in CA for parking tickets, and they never tell you until you get pulled over. I love CA, but it's CRAZY there!
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