Once I got a ticket for parking in a handicapped space near Wayne State, except it wasn't a handicapped space--I was between a white line on my left and a blue on my right, in a space with no signage, handicapped or otherwise. I saw the cop writing the ticket at 7am-ish and ran out to stop him. He issued the ticket and said I needed to set a court date to fight it.

For the next six months, I called to set up the court date. Nothing--wasn't in the system yet. A year later, my boyfriend [[it was his car) got a letter that he owed the city $150 for the ticket. He called and was told he couldn't get court date until he paid up. He paid. No court date assigned.

Five years, six address changes and four cities later, we move to a new house. A month after we had settled in, he got a letter at the new address saying the ticket was void, issued incorrectly, and that a check would be in the mail. The check arrived a week later.

So, there is hope! Someone out there at the City of Detroit Parking Violations Bureau is doing their job . . . just taking their sweet time doing it.