Parking Enforcement Ticketing Cars

Buy American · September-14-10, 09:54 PM

What the hell is wrong with the City of Detroit. The fires were devastating in many neighborhoods and people lost their homes, all of their personal belongings, their garages were burned to the ground....and along comes parking enforcement to ticket their cars for blocking a sidewalk. According to the report, the City told their meter maids to not write any more tickets and they would recind all of them....and today, they are back, booting the cars, ticketing them.
Bing and his cronies are just as bad as any of the other corrupt politicians before him, he doesn't give two shits for Detroiters!

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...-20100914-wpms

**milesdriven** · September-15-10, 07:52 AM

When I lived near Michigan and Junction about five years ago, they started to come through the alleys and give people tickets who had been parking in the same place for 30 years. All of us got together, crossed our arms, and blocked the alley. That's what it took, community effort to tell them they were not welcome in our neighborhood.

**Detwa** · September-15-10, 07:59 AM

Well, they said on the news that Bing/his office were again forcing them to cancel the tickets/boots, but why can't they just order the department to STOP, period. Leave that area alone for a good 30-60 days or whatever. These officers are apparently deliberately going over there to write tickets - do they get bonuses or something? Imagine how much work it is to have to cancel all of those tickets, plus the people have to go downtown and fight them. It's disgraceful and shameful. And the nasty attitudes of the officers, they were strutted and pimping around as if they were enjoying it. If someone gets hurt over it, they'll only have themselves to blame.

**1KielsonDrive** · September-15-10, 01:59 PM

The City of Detroit [[administration) is f*#k+d up. Always has been. Why residents put up with it is beyond me. A few years living back in Detroit and I gave up again and moved on. I've been saying for decades, that the City should have a Parking Awards Department. Anytime they find someone parking, they should award them a certificate, or a gift card. THANK YOU FOR PARKING IN DETROIT! Thanks for risking you car , belongings, tires, wheels, converter and sanity when the cops refuse to respond or they respond and insult you for calling. Detroit Meter Maids are like proverbial 'flys on s*#t'.

**daddeeo** · September-15-10, 02:16 PM

Next to bed bugs and cockroaches, they are the worst.
If they were in REAL law enforcement, the city would be cleaned up in weeks.
Criminals would be crying like babies and hitting the road big time.

**Gannon** · September-15-10, 02:24 PM

I've heard people go on and on blathering about how GOOD it was to privatize the parking ticket enforcement in this town.

I've always said bullshit, and now I say I told you so. It has been a bad idea from the start, and a risk of political glad-handling of relatively untraceable monies.

Any and every company is doing whatever they can to maximize profit these days...get it while they can, while folks still have a few dimes to rub together.

Why is everyone so surprised that this is happening?!

Bing doesn't HAVE direct control over the parking enforcement because it is NOT a governmental agency. He should cancel that contract and extend the responsibilities of the police department to handle these things. Create another class of officers who would do parking and traffic/crowd control around special events ONLY. Perhaps even hire out directly to Hollywood for their set security, too.

Why the hell NOT?! Bring that profit INTO the city's coffers instead of letting some private organization skim the top ten percent or whatever the profit margin IS with that stuff. It would be a curious study...

No cheers on this one...I'm still peeved about that one rogue asshole who used to target those who dared stop into Lee's Cafe de Troit when she was open...and the other one who targeted ME when I was running that deli downtown last year. Ended up with over $1,200 worth of tickets that was immediately reduced to under $200 when we finally took them to court. [[I had been holding them because the owner of the next-door business kept promising me that 'he had a guy' who'd take care of them all!) It would've been TWENTY if the first magistrate would've been reasonable.

Nah, the parking situation should be under the direct authority of the city, and they should have ALL the profits from tickets...and their entry-level employees should also have duties as eyes and ears for the police as well as crowd/traffic control status...basic stuff and pretty obvious to me.

No cheers...seething right now. Damnit! [[breathe, must remember to breathe...)

**daddeeo** · September-15-10, 06:25 PM

And some folks wonder why people don't want to visit Detroit for any reason after they get a ticket [[quite often unnecessarily).

**spiritofdetroit** · September-15-10, 06:41 PM

I guess I dont understand the fuss in general - clearly in this case it is ridiculous, but I have never had a problem with enforcement downtown, in fact I dont see them around that often.

Sure, my car is in a parking garage at home and at work downtown, but I do street park downtown fairly regularly and have never had my car broken into, nor have I received a ticket - of course, I am one that actually puts $ in the meter, and dont park in areas that arent clearly marked as ok to park in.

It is a pain to get a ticket - I got plenty at MSU - but most of the time they are just doing their job, and most of the time the parkers are in the wrong.

**hamtown mike** · September-16-10, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by spiritofdetroit

I guess I dont understand the fuss in general - ... I do street park downtown fairly regularly and have never had my car broken into, nor have I received a ticket - of course, I am one that actually puts $ in the meter, and dont park in areas that arent clearly marked as ok to park in...

Just like you spirit I've been parking downtown for years on the street without a ticket or incident. If we put a sign in every place a person cannot park, you wouldn't be able to see the city. It's simple-park in an alley, you're going to get a ticket. Block traffic, if only to just run into the store, you're going to get a ticket.

I have a friend who parked by the police station in Greektown right under a sign reading "no parking except for police vehicles." He was fuming mad when we returned to a ticket on his window. His reasoning "Well it was after 9." [[there was no mention of time on the sign)

Detroiter's "do what I want" and suburbanite's "oh it's Detroit nobody will mind" attitudes create a goldmine for parking tickets. I didn't know it had been privatized. that's spooky. I know in Hamville tickets are tied into the ticketing officers pension/retirement-perhaps Detroit had a similar arrangement and saw the need to cut those potential future costs out of the budget.

gdogslim · September-16-10, 10:40 AM

The parking nazi's will sometines give you a ticket, but NOT place it on your windsheild.
By the time you get it in the mail. the fine has doubled, and they will not let you off ever.

**Meddle** · September-16-10, 11:30 AM

They should not be in residential areas at all. No side streets, no alleys. Downtown and business routes only. Make it part of the contract that all tickets outside commercial areas will be voided automatically and the agent reprimanded.

**sturge** · September-16-10, 12:07 PM

The law is the law. Bottom line. They don't care about your excuses or if you misunderstand the law. Has anyone been ticketed when they parked legally?

Now I agree a private company shouldn't be tasked to this and they should have done a better job at providing exceptions for those affected by the fires.

**Meddle** · September-16-10, 12:17 PM

Has anyone been ticketed when they parked legally?

Yes, they have.

Others have been unfairly targeted. Look up a thread on this board about a TV show called Parking Wars.

**mauser** · September-16-10, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

I've heard people go on and on blathering about how GOOD it was to privatize the parking ticket enforcement in this town.I've always said bullshit, and now I say I told you so. It has been a bad idea from the start, and a risk of political glad-handling of relatively untraceable monies.............

every single thing Gannon said +1

**chitaku** · September-16-10, 12:58 PM

I've been ticketed while parked legally. It was for "improper parking implying that I wasn't correctly in the spot. Thing is I drive a Chevy Aveo, no matter where I park in between the lines, that little car dosen't stick out.

**sturge** · September-16-10, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Yes, they have.

Others have been unfairly targeted. Look up a thread on this board about a TV show called Parking Wars.

I have. Must have missed the episode where someone was in the right but I've always seen it where the driver THINKS he's legal, but he isn't. I found it amazing how some people just thought they were so special the law didn't apply to them.

**SWMAP** · September-16-10, 02:20 PM

I was ticketed for "improper parking" at Avalon in February. My left wheels were slightly over the imaginary line that marks the alley lane. 7/8ths of the vehicle was behind the concrete stop.A car actually parked in the alley did not get ticketed because I emerged from the store and the meter maid literally ran to her vehicle and skidded away. I would be happy to attach the photo I took to demonstrate exactly how absurd that ticket was - but I can't figure the attachment.
So it is my personal experience that they are ticketing legally parked people. Now I hear that they are going to be ticketing on residential streets - maybe your wheel is too far over onto some arbitrary demarcation and so they will use the catch-all "improper."

**kraig** · September-16-10, 03:20 PM

It was in retaliation for the neighbors speaking out, pure and simple. Bing's administration is continuing the same crap that Kwame's administration did. Not a damn thing has changed.

**ct_alum** · September-16-10, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by kraig

It was in retaliation for the neighbors speaking out, pure and simple. Bing's administration is continuing the same crap that Kwame's administration did. Not a damn thing has changed.

Give that man a cigar!

**Zacha341** · September-16-10, 08:27 PM

Yep, so they are taking to the residential streets next? This is the draconian extreme measures justified by the extremity of the situation, yah-dah yah-dah --- so the rationale goes. I tried to tell people that the real cost was coming along with the real truth of Detroits finance, back when the audits were not coming out during the KK reign.

Originally Posted by SWMAP

I was ticketed for "improper parking" at Avalon in February. My left wheels were slightly over the imaginary line that marks the alley lane. 7/8ths of the vehicle was behind the concrete stop.A car actually parked in the alley did not get ticketed because I emerged from the store and the meter maid literally ran to her vehicle and skidded away. I would be happy to attach the photo I took to demonstrate exactly how absurd that ticket was - but I can't figure the attachment.
So it is my personal experience that they are ticketing legally parked people. Now I hear that they are going to be ticketing on residential streets - maybe your wheel is too far over onto some arbitrary demarcation and so they will use the catch-all "improper."

**1KielsonDrive** · September-16-10, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

I've heard people go on and on blathering about how GOOD it was to privatize the parking ticket enforcement in this town.

I've always said bullshit, and now I say I told you so. It has been a bad idea from the start, and a risk of political glad-handling of relatively untraceable monies.

Any and every company is doing whatever they can to maximize profit these days...get it while they can, while folks still have a few dimes to rub together.

Why is everyone so surprised that this is happening?!

Bing doesn't HAVE direct control over the parking enforcement because it is NOT a governmental agency. He should cancel that contract and extend the responsibilities of the police department to handle these things. Create another class of officers who would do parking and traffic/crowd control around special events ONLY. Perhaps even hire out directly to Hollywood for their set security, too.

Why the hell NOT?! Bring that profit INTO the city's coffers instead of letting some private organization skim the top ten percent or whatever the profit margin IS with that stuff. It would be a curious study...

No cheers on this one...I'm still peeved about that one rogue asshole who used to target those who dared stop into Lee's Cafe de Troit when she was open...and the other one who targeted ME when I was running that deli downtown last year. Ended up with over $1,200 worth of tickets that was immediately reduced to under $200 when we finally took them to court. [[I had been holding them because the owner of the next-door business kept promising me that 'he had a guy' who'd take care of them all!) It would've been TWENTY if the first magistrate would've been reasonable.

Nah, the parking situation should be under the direct authority of the city, and they should have ALL the profits from tickets...and their entry-level employees should also have duties as eyes and ears for the police as well as crowd/traffic control status...basic stuff and pretty obvious to me.

No cheers...seething right now. Damnit! [[breathe, must remember to breathe...)

Hey Gannon, I agree with you about the privatization - it should've never happened. That's a time dishonored way of reducing pay and benefits. But most of my run-ins with parking enforcement in Detroit was pre-privatization. They we're motherscratchers no matter who they worked for.

detroitjim · September-16-10, 10:22 PM

In the TV story I saw the offending vehicle was completely blocking the side walk.
Oh OK your house caught fire and NOW that gives you the license to inconvenience the rest of the public. Park the effing car in the street! Bidgeho deserved the citation .
I'm thinking of writing a book for low lifes. It will be the other side of the spectrum compared to Dr.Wayne Dyers. I'll name it "YO EXCUSES"

**Novack** · September-17-10, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by detroitjim

In the TV story I saw the offending vehicle was completely blocking the side walk.
Oh OK your house caught fire and NOW that gives you the license to inconvenience the rest of the public. Park the effing car in the street! Bidgeho deserved the citation .
I'm thinking of writing a book for low lifes. It will be the other side of the spectrum compared to Dr.Wayne Dyers. I'll name it "YO EXCUSES"

Really? Why was it parked blocking the side walk. I remember when they paved our street and wouldn't let us park in the street, and half the homes needed to, so we used our neighbors driveways, unfortunately blocking the sidewalks and seeing we hadn't ever seen parking enforcement vehicle ever, that next day they came out and ticketed all the cars. Hmmmmm. But that is just an excuse I guess. And I to am thinking of writing a book on know it all arrogant a!@##%#%. I already have a working title for the manuscript. Oh And it appears I have someone to base the book on.

detroitjim · September-17-10, 10:10 PM

But that is just an excuse I guess

You probably won't need my book . I'm certain that I got some of the excuses from you.

And I to am thinking of writing a book on know it all arrogant a!@##%#%.

Bidgeho was way more inconsiderate than arrogant. Although, her arrogance does shine , hah believing that she is not deserving of the ticket because a fire occurred at her home.

Oh And it appears I have someone to base the book on.

Be sure to cite her in your books credits.

**kraig** · September-18-10, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

Hey Gannon, I agree with you about the privatization - it should've never happened. That's a time dishonored way of reducing pay and benefits. But most of my run-ins with parking enforcement in Detroit was pre-privatization. They we're motherscratchers no matter who they worked for.

Unless I'm mistaken, the only thing that's ever been privatized are the collections. The ticket enforcers are city workers. They're just following orders, the real problem comes from the butt wipes in the administration that sent them over there.