Pissed at a parking ticket downtown today

[rice_rocket]

So.... I went to THREE garages this morning... and none would take motorcycles! I asked every time, and nobody had a clue where to park, they just said go to the street!

So fine fine.. I pulled it up to a meter, but right in line of the meter and at the front of a block, so it's close to the intersection.. but there was actually maybe 1/2 car length until the crosswalk.

I asked a meter maid if this was good, he said technically I should be the only one at the meter, but since there's room, as long as there's money in the meter, I'd be all good. I didn't want to be a dick and block an entire spot.. it was also sloped, so I figure if someone was pissed they'd just kick the bike over. He said my other choice would be to put it up on the sidewalk beside a bicycle (which many just find something to lock it to)... but he said some of the guys downtown would still give me a ticket.

Soooo... I left it there... come to check every 2 hrs, and after 4 hrs.. I see a ticket. Not for out of time, but for a no stop/parking! The sign for that is actually 4 ft past the meter, and I'm sure it's so that the crosswalk is never blocked!

I'm so furious that this whopping $75 ticket was given out, even though I confirmed at the beginning of the day if I was "doing it right". The new ticket doesn't even indicate an appeal, but I can request a hearing? Not sure if it's worth my time, but I typed up a nice long note like this post to see what can be done.

Boy.. how stupid, I should have just driven the car in.. at least the garage would have taken my car! Sheeeesh!

That's just so stupid!

[Jim]

next time you come park with teh posers. we dont get tickets

[rice_rocket]

If I only knew where that was... <sigh> looked all over the street for other motorcycles and could only find bicycles I was right down on Cambridge street downtown by MGH

[OreoGaborio]

you should be able to appeal it.... look at the back of the ticket, there should be instructions.

Take pictures, print them out, bring them with you & plead your case at City Hall or wherever they tell you to go. You'll have a good chance of getting it thrown out if you dress professionally & state the facts w/o making excuses.

[Manny]

Just submit an online appeal with that info. You get a letter to your house in a couple of weeks. Usually works.

[DuncanMoto]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.297 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.1.20.0)

I type a note and print color photos, mail it in with the ticket and ussually win.

[rice_rocket]

I didn't snap the pictures since it was too dark for my camera phone to make anything out of it by the time I was done..

I didn't know you could appeal online though. On the old tickets they just had a checkmark for the appeal. This new printout ticket just says payment instructions, and indicates that you can request a hearing, but not much other info. Time to go online now!

[rice_rocket]

Woo.. there's a nice section online here for disputing tickets.

Now it's time to clean up my grammar and punctuation to sound more professional

[crowspeed07]

The garage say why a bike couldn't park in them? It's not different from a car in the sense we pay to have them on the road they are plated/lights etc.

[Stan]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9530/4.7.0.151 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I would fight it where downtown did u park?

[rice_rocket]

They did not specify why they wouldn't let me park.. all the times I couldn't get a ticket... I think it's not enough for a sensor to trip to let the ticket come out? I just simply got off and asked if I could park, and all said no. The first time I just went in and put it near the bike racks.. but the bike racks were situated so that you had to "hang" your bicycle, and my own motorcycle would be too big to fit in the painted zone anyways...

I submitted my dispute online last night.. we'll see what happens.

[rice_rocket]

Well.. just got my appeal back in the mail today, and it was let go.

Sheesh! But I'm glad all it took was an online complaint, and for good measure I mailed in a longer piece of paper describing my situation.

[drop]

The garage say why a bike couldn't park in them? It's not different from a car in the sense we pay to have them on the road they are plated/lights etc.

most of the gate systems aren't rated/inspected for motorcycles, so the garages are covering their ass insurance wise by not officially allowing motorcycles.

that said, some of them will let it slide as long as your bike is able to trigger the entry gate.

[ducatirdr]

I love parking in Boston with my motorcycle. You go around the garage gates and find a corner to park where cars don't fit. Park there and then when you leave you go around the gate.

Most garages don't hassle you. I park at Cambridge Ctr and Children's Hospital patient parking garage all the time like this.