Tux of Borg Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Washington Post Drivers Get Tickets After Meters Installed CHICAGO (AP) - It sounds like the meter maid's version of a speed trap: A ticket for parking at a meter that was installed after you park your car. But that's what happened in Chicago last week, where a handful of motorists returned to their vehicles and found parking meters - and tickets - that weren't there when they parked. According to a spokeswoman for the city's revenue department it was all just an innocent mistake. The way Efrat Dallal explains it, the vehicles were parked on a stretch of roadway where the meters were temporarily removed during street construction. Then, she said, the meters were put back and the vehicles parked in front of them were ticketed. But some motorists wondered if that was the case after at least one of the tickets was apparently postdated several hours after it was placed on a car. "It really angers me," said Vince Tessitore, an attorney who found what for drivers is the equivalent of money on the sidewalk: a vacant and cost-free parking space. "The city is strict enough in its parking restrictions already," he said. "Chicago gets plenty of revenue ticketing people by legal means without having to be deceptive." Police department spokesman Dave Bayless said the department employee, whom he said is a traffic aide and not a sworn officer, said she mistakenly put the wrong date on the ticket. Whatever happened, none of those who were ticketed on that short stretch of West Illinois Street last Tuesday night will have to pay up, Dallal said. She said to avoid improper ticketing, notices will be attached to meters to alert police and others when the meters were installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachChuckDickerson Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 So the city made a mistake, apologized, did the right thing, and folks still have to cry in thier beer. God Bless America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 So the city made a mistake, apologized, did the right thing, and folks still have to cry in thier beer. God Bless America. 363698[/snapback] Probably not because Chicago has a well deserved reputation for this kind of corruption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Mike Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Washington Post Drivers Get Tickets After Meters Installed CHICAGO (AP) - It sounds like the meter maid's version of a speed trap: A ticket for parking at a meter that was installed after you park your car. But that's what happened in Chicago last week, where a handful of motorists returned to their vehicles and found parking meters - and tickets - that weren't there when they parked. According to a spokeswoman for the city's revenue department it was all just an innocent mistake. The way Efrat Dallal explains it, the vehicles were parked on a stretch of roadway where the meters were temporarily removed during street construction. Then, she said, the meters were put back and the vehicles parked in front of them were ticketed. But some motorists wondered if that was the case after at least one of the tickets was apparently postdated several hours after it was placed on a car. "It really angers me," said Vince Tessitore, an attorney who found what for drivers is the equivalent of money on the sidewalk: a vacant and cost-free parking space. "The city is strict enough in its parking restrictions already," he said. "Chicago gets plenty of revenue ticketing people by legal means without having to be deceptive." Police department spokesman Dave Bayless said the department employee, whom he said is a traffic aide and not a sworn officer, said she mistakenly put the wrong date on the ticket. Whatever happened, none of those who were ticketed on that short stretch of West Illinois Street last Tuesday night will have to pay up, Dallal said. She said to avoid improper ticketing, notices will be attached to meters to alert police and others when the meters were installed. 363694[/snapback] U.B. did that exact same thing to me years ago. I used to ride my motorcycle to classes at the Main St. campus and parked my bike along with many others in this one paved area between a campus road and the sidewalk. After a couple years of doing this, I came out from class one day to find a new "No Parking" sign and every one of us had a ticket on our seat. These were real City of Buffalo tickets so you couldn't really just ignore them. I went to the head of Campus Security to complain and he basically told me "Too F'ing Bad" and I ended up having to pay it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Didn't this happen in an episode of "Dukes of Hazzard"? I seem to remember Boss Hogg and Roscoe putting meters in from of cars and then ticketing them. Local governments are creative enough when it comes to revenue streams. They don't need to rip-off Hollywood, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet baboo Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 I'm surprised Rochester and Buffalo haven't resorted to doing this yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Didn't this happen in an episode of "Dukes of Hazzard"? I seem to remember Boss Hogg and Roscoe putting meters in from of cars and then ticketing them. Hahahahaha.... I think I remember that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Probably not because Chicago has a well deserved reputation for this kind of corruption. 363704[/snapback] So true... I am pretty sure they don't destroy the plate numbers in Illinois... They just reuse them. People downstate that never stepped foot in the city were getting notices for not paying past tickets that were given in the city! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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