Rant: Alternate side parking enforcement

A little explaination:
Those of you in warm weather states or areas where alternate side parking is not done: around here we have a thing called 'alternate side parking' which means that if you park on the street between midnight and 6am-ish (varies by municipaity) you have to park on the side of the street with Even numbered house addresses on dates with an even number (like November 28th) and on the odd side on odd dates (like November 29th). Alternate side parking is generally in effect between November 15th and April 15th (ymmv) The purpose is to make it easier for snow plows to plow and to make sure that over the course of thre winter both sides of the street get some plow loving.

Now, I have a 2 car garage and a substantial driveway so I don't park on the street so this hasn't directly affected me in a long time. However, this morning as I drive to work I notice a bunch of cars that were parked on the 'wrong' side. Each had a ticket stuffed udner the wiper.

I found myself irritated. We haven't had any accumulation. Zero. Not a single snowplow has dropped blade yet and, in fact, I'd be surprised if they had been used at all (they also tend to do the salting/sanding of slippery patches if it gets icy). Yet here are the cops running around and ticketing people for what is effecitvely a harmless 'offense'.


Yeah--- I know that the 'offenders' knew they were wrong. Yeah-- I know that the cops are just 'doing their jobs'. Yeah-- I can see some value in trying to teach people good habits. I jsut think that this whole thing is being done wrong.

I'd rather they just ticket when its a problem, not on a day with there is no precipitation and no chance of snow.

Downtown they dont' do this-- they only have alternate side parking when there's actually going to be snow (and the radio/TV stations all announce it when the city has decided this is the case). THAT'S how they should run it.


I just dislike it when the city runs around collecting fines for harmless behavior.

Rant ove.r

I hear you. Stupid laws like that that get enforced just in the sake of collecting fines are nothing more than a backdoor tax on the citizenry. I think most people's eyes would bug out of the skull if they knew how many stupid-assed old laws they break every day. Hell, I break VA law every time I give more than a six pack of homebrew to any one person in a year. But the thing about traffic laws is that the vast majority of them started out as good-intentioned---until the municipality realizes that it's an easy revenue stream. Then it's off to the races. Red light cameras are a perfect example. Most studies show that installing red light cameras actually increase accident rates, because when people know the thing will catch them, they often slam on their brakes to avoid it, and rear-end collisions ensue. But cities love them, because they rake in the $$. A remember a few years ago, Washington DC put in speed cameras on some places that didn't have high accident rates, but, because of the design of the road, the average speed was high enough to trigger their threshold. I believe they took in tens of millions of dollars in the first couple years, and refused to take them down because, TADA, of how much money they were making. Along those same lines, many municipalities have been proven to actually shorten the yellow light times when they put in red light cameras, thus not making anyone any safer, but ensuring a heavier revenue stream.

It's theft. It's unconscionable. But we vote them back into office.

Sounds like it is time to put on the old tire chains and just forget that there isn't any snow or ice to warrant their use since obviously it is serious enough that the snow plows need to be able to access the roads.

Is the alternate side where you are for snow removal or street cleaning? I know in Sommerville MA there are alternate side rules that have nothing to do with snow removal.

(In Providence there is no street parking between 1am and 5 am; I have no idea why but they ticket every night 365 days a year).

Reminds me of a time a few years back-

I had a car that I was trying to sell, so I had a "for Sale" sign in the back window.

I parked it in the same place on the road in front of the apartment for several weeks, no problem.

Alternate side parking started, and the very next morning, I see the paper under the windshield.

I'm thinking I got a $5 perking ticket, right?

Nope, the officer gave me a warning for that.

However, he DID give me a ticket for "displaying a for sale sign in a parked vehicle on a public road"- $256.00

Thanks for nothing, jerk! Give me a warning for the $5 ticket, but nail me for $256.

Prior to that, I had never heard of that law- as a matter of fact, I called my Mother (At the time she was the secretary for the Sherrif's Department, and she had never heard of it, either. She asked the Sherrif, and he had to look it up himself.

TheJadedDog said:

Is the alternate side where you are for snow removal or street cleaning?

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We have no alternate side parking for street cleaning--- almost no screet cleanign even happens here anymore. They do a couple runs in the spring to clean up the sand but not much else.

yeah, what? There's a law against putting up a for sale sign in your window? And some dirtbag actually ticketed you for it? Is this the United States, or communist russia, ferchrissakes!?

In communist Russia, car puts YOU up for sale!

Evan! said:

I hear you. Stupid laws like that that get enforced just in the sake of collecting fines are nothing more than a backdoor tax on the citizenry. I think most people's eyes would bug out of the skull if they knew how many stupid-assed old laws they break every day. Hell, I break VA law every time I give more than a six pack of homebrew to any one person in a year. But the thing about traffic laws is that the vast majority of them started out as good-intentioned---until the municipality realizes that it's an easy revenue stream. Then it's off to the races. Red light cameras are a perfect example. Most studies show that installing red light cameras actually increase accident rates, because when people know the thing will catch them, they often slam on their brakes to avoid it, and rear-end collisions ensue. But cities love them, because they rake in the $$. A remember a few years ago, Washington DC put in speed cameras on some places that didn't have high accident rates, but, because of the design of the road, the average speed was high enough to trigger their threshold. I believe they took in tens of millions of dollars in the first couple years, and refused to take them down because, TADA, of how much money they were making. Along those same lines, many municipalities have been proven to actually shorten the yellow light times when they put in red light cameras, thus not making anyone any safer, but ensuring a heavier revenue stream.

It's theft. It's unconscionable. But we vote them back into office.

Click to expand...

to roll with the red light camera thing. a small city in California in yuba county i believe, put up a camera on a state controlled light ( which isnt the problem) the man who controlled/had access to the light doesnt like speed cameras for the same reason mentioned above. so his idea was to increase the yellow by about 4 seconds or more. TADA, all of a sudden a whole lot less revenue from tickets. the city wasnt to happy but what could they say? he reduced accidents on the intersection and that was, what they claimed, the reason for the camera in the first place.

Yeah, studies have shown that simply increasing yellow light times has a much more positive effect on accident rates than cameras.

Evan! said:

yeah, what? There's a law against putting up a for sale sign in your window? And some dirtbag actually ticketed you for it?

Click to expand...

From what I understand, it was put in place because people were parking their cars in the street in front of car lots with signs and leaving them there for weeks at a time, causing problems with congestion and lack of parking.

The thing that got me was the fact that he gave me a warning fo rthe low-dollar, every body knows about it violation- that I had no excuse for breaking, but then gave me a Very high dollar ticket for an infraction that almost nobody has ever ever even heard of.

I've gotten tickets for parking on the sidewalk at my house (which they only enforce in winter, for some reason). Thing is, I live at the end of a dead-end street; the sidewalk ends at my house! I figure, I'm on the sidewalk, no one walks there anyway, I'm out of the way. They also must give out tickets at like 3:00 AM, because I've parked there last at night and had a ticket first thing in the morning. Cops must get mighty bored working the late shift in a town of 3,500 people...

Around here we have winter rules. You can't park on the street during the winter so the snow plows can get up and down the street.

Of course, both cops that live on my street completely ignore it.

the_bird said:

I've gotten tickets for parking on the sidewalk at my house (which they only enforce in winter, for some reason). Thing is, I live at the end of a dead-end street; the sidewalk ends at my house! I figure, I'm on the sidewalk, no one walks there anyway, I'm out of the way. They also must give out tickets at like 3:00 AM, because I've parked there last at night and had a ticket first thing in the morning. Cops must get mighty bored working the late shift in a town of 3,500 people...

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It's not boredom. It's the need to pay their salaries. And nothing pads the coffers like handing out stupid-ass tickets at 3am.

As soon as I read the title of this thread I thought "This guy must be from Madison" and I was right . I had my fair share of alternate side parking tickets while I went to school in Madison. Stupid law if you ask me. I say do like they do in Chicago, if people want to park on the street, be prepared to dig your car out of a 6ft snow drift after the plow comes by.

Don't get me wrong. I think that alternate side parking makes sense when there's snow. It prevents lots of property damage from plows rubbing parked cars, avoids creating dangerously tall piles of snow in the street and generally makes plowing more efficient and safer. Alternate side parking serves a very valid purpose.

I just think its f-ing stupid to have alternate side parking when there's no snow to be plowed.

money, money, money. I've said it before and I'll say it till I die. If you want to know why something is the way it is: Follow the money and you'll quickly find your answer. Ya know there was a time when cops were trained to give a crap about the people they were protecting. Anymore, there's no such thing as protection. When my neighbor almost ran me over on his bike doing 100 mph on a residential street in the middle of the afternoon, I couldn't even get a stinkin' cop to even come and talk to me. Ten 911 calls, later I was told to stop calling and expect an officer to call me back. NEVER happened. But the day after my birthday I had a ticket on my windshield for the expired tag. MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!!!!!

I've never heard of such a thing. I suppose that during actual snow accumulation it makes a bit of sense. Otherwise, it's ridiculous.

I also have a parking ticket pet peeve. I hate when cops start enforcing the law dictating the way your parked car faces. It makes sense to park "with the traffic flow" when there are a lot of cars parked along the side of a busy street. However, in my neighborhood of a couple dozen houses, the street is NOT busy, and there are rarely more than about six cars parked along the street over the ENTIRE neighborhood. Go find something better to do.

Another Madisonian here...the alternate parking thing pisses me off no end. I'm a home owner now, with off street parking- but I remember being in an apartment and having to traipse out and move my car when ill, etc. because of this ridiculous rule. We haven't really received any measurable snowfall until January in recent years, so I think the whole thing is just stupid!

Would someone explain to me how the red light law stands up in court? I thought the Unites States Constitution guaranteed the right to confront and cross examine the accuser.

I can see how a law enforcement officer with a radar gun would be present in court, that person actually would be the accuser. An automated device cannot answer accusations, a representative of the law was not there doing the accusing.

Personally, I've always had issue with "on street parking". In Alexandria, it's frakking rediculous, since it's "historic" the streets are wide enough for two compact cars and a pile of leaves. But since it's historic, none of the houses have driveways or garages, so everyone parks on the streets.

But since it's a "business district" the city has voted down making the roads one way for fear that it will harm the local economy. So at some point we've got three car's trying to squeeze through a 2 lane road.

Don't get me STARTED on Virginia's HOV lanes... talk about a cash cow! $125 first offense, $250 second, $500 third, $1000 4th... Running a red light - $65.

/me growls

I saw a cop car in Edinburgh years ago and when it was stopped at a junction I pointed out to the driver that his left rear brake light wasn't working. I was in a bit of a bad mood with the fuzz from a previously evening (long story - they were not very helpful) and it was most enjoyable. They had to return the car to the station. LMAO.

municipalities are right bastards, however, they keep the roads paved, and if your lucky salted and snow free. so... you know where this is going, park in your driveway, or on the neighbors tree lawn. especially in winter, whether there's snow or no... :fro:

Some cops take great joy in finding obscure laws. We have one known as "The Cuddle Cop". He ticketed a couple because the woman was sitting in the middle seat of a truck next to her husband. Belted in, but TCC decided she should be sitting in the right seat, because it had a shoulder belt as well. Did this twice. She reviewed the law, which simply states that if a seat has a shoulder belt, you have to use it. Made national news.

He also was handing out speeding tickets at 4 am in "when children present" school zones! Not the only one, so Oregon law now requires the school hours to be posted on the sign and/or a flashing light on a timer.

We have "unlicensed domicile" laws that prevent people from parking their RVs on their own property. But, if it's in a barn, it's ok.