I got my first-ever parking ticket today. I was parked on the wrong side of the street in front of my mother’s house. The street is wider on one side than the other to allow for parking on that side, and I parked against the flow of traffic. $21. I didn’t even realize it was against the law.
StG
Where the hell do you live that a parking ticket is $21?
The cheapest one around here is about $40, i think.
Parking against the closest traffic lane is a violation in most places of which I’m aware. Since I don’t do it, no clue on what it costs if you do.
Where are you located? I’ve never seen this way of parking in any American city I’ve ever lived in, although I’m not sure it doesn’t exist somewhere.
I’ve only ever seen people park like this in foreign movies, mostly French.
Not 'round here it isn’t. The idea being that, parking being as bad as it is in this town, you might as well let people do it, cause honestly, what’s the harm?
cats - I’ve been doing this for months, as have others on the street. Oh, well - I’ve learned my lesson. I guess $21 is the going rate in Murfreesboro, TN.
StG
It’s very common, and legal ,in England. Or at least it was when i lived there, in the early 1990s.
I’m seeing from other posts that’s legal or at least allowed in some American cities – including Murfreesboro, TN. Thanks for the reply, St. Germain.
It’s illegal here, but people do it all the time. In most neighborhoods people never get ticketed.
I’ve gotten a ticket for it, and I’ve seen cars ticketed for it in NH, VT, and MA. It’s a bad idea in general, as to leave you have to go counter to traffic.
I got a ticket for the exact same thing in front of my house. I live on a street with no curbs, I have ditch in front of my house. I came home for about 10 minutes and just as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a sheriff’s car in front of mine. I waited till he left and found an $8 ticket for parking against the flow of traffic.
When exiting the parking place, you must cross the oncoming travel lane, as well as safely merge with the same direction travel lane, thereby increasing the likelihood of something undesired taking place. Illegal in PA, NJ (or used to be), and MD, as well as other spots.
We’ve actually done this topic before on SDMB, and the majority of places prohibit it.
I once got a ticket for pulling into a streetside parking space backwards (one of the diagonal ones not parallel parking), I guess for the same reason as stated in post #12.
It’s common practice on light-traffic residential streets in the city of Chicago, but I suspect it is illegal here as well.
I allow myself one parking ticket a month, which are usually $50 street cleaning tickets. I could rent a parking spot from my condo association for $75/month, even with a ticket I come out ahead. I don’t see it so much as a parking ticket as a parking tax, which is probably a better description anyhow since they are a huge revenue stream for the city.
Sell that damn car.
Morgenstern - It’s not the car’s fault - I’m the one who parked it illegally.
StG