Thanks a lot, Parking Enforcement!

Okay, meter maids...you really want me just to sell my car and get it over with, right?

Is that what I am to gather from this?

Just checking.

Just wanted to be sure we understood each other.

"Parking in LA" from the album On the Street, submitted by pockets

--Lindsay Barnett

Comments

[ANTHONY]

I think I am being scammed by Parking Enforcement. I was ticketed and my truck was impounded on a supposed 72 hour violation. I use my truck almost on a daily basis, so how can this be. I am told that I am guilty until I prove myself innocent. $220 for the impound and $45 dollars for the ticket !! I am going to fight it but they make it such an uphill battle to do so. Steve Lopez HELP !!!

[Sam]

Anthony,

Yes, they do scam alot. In college, they put up temporary "no parking" signs. Some of them are covered, others were loose and fell so that they were on the floor or upside down. They ticketed every car on the street and had an army of tow trucks tow every car away as fast as possible.

The funny thing is that every car on the street belonged to the tenants. People parking would see the signs (that were still up). However, the tenants inside didn't know that they put up signs on the street to ticket and tow them. They towed maybe 50 cars. Don't tell me there was advanced notice, because even if every single other tenant stays inside for days at a time, some would have gone out, seen it, and told their neighbors and roommates.

If the City really needs money, they need to look elsewhere. For example, alot of people with handicap placards aren't handicap. They just use a relative's placard, and they jump out of the car and run (or jog) to the store entrance. In downtown LA, they park in the metered parking spots every day at the same spot...all day long! The lots have designated handicap parking that no one can park in, yet the handicaps get free parking on the street (since they don't have to pay the meters for being handicap). I can tell you the type of car and the license plate of every handicap vehicle around my work, because they all are parked there for hours upon hours. People who want to pay metered parking can't because the people abusing handicap placards are using them. Meter maids can't ticket them. Argh!!