Can you fight a "street cleaning" ticket, if they don't actually clean the street?

[tastybasslines]

I got a parking ticket today for parking during street cleaning. OK, my fault. However, it has come to my attention, that they don't actually clean the street during the posted cleaning times. In fact, they don't clean that street at all.

Can I fight this? It doesn't sound very ethical to me.

[hdracer]

They probably didn't clean the street because you and other people were parked on it.

[tastybasslines]

They didn't clean it the week before, and before that. And I got the ticket only 5 minutes after the start of the posted time zone infraction, so the street sweeper hadn't even arrived yet. The ticket person must have been sitting there waiting, licking their chops. And when I see a street sweeper, they still clean the street, just instead, they drive around the parked cars there.

[fmoore200]

It is my contention that street sweepers don't actually clean anything, but instead just disburse garbage that has collected in the gutter into a wider area, creating the illusion of cleanliness

[bassteban]

Yes you can fight. You can also pee into the wind

[Tractorr]

You would have a much better chance of organizing your community and getting the parking laws changed.

[tastybasslines]

What a helpful crew!

[bassteban]

You asked. Sorry but I doubt you'd accomplish anything.

[P Town]

Quit dreamin'

[joeyl]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

Can I fight this? It doesn't sound very ethical to me.

yes you can fight it, but is it worth your time? You would have to take photos of the street every week (with some kind of time indication, I don't think they would pull the exif data just for a case like that) to show that they don't clean it and show it to the judge/magistrate.

[SBsoundguy]

Street sweeping is tough work. Give the game a shot. I'm not sure if you can contest tickets in the sim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BXoMAcTqI8

[Tractorr]

Originally Posted by joeyl

yes you can fight it, but is it worth your time? You would have to take photos of the street every week (with some kind of time indication, I don't think they would pull the exif data just for a case like that) to show that they don't clean it and show it to the judge/magistrate.

Perhaps, if the OP subpoenaed records of the street cleaners activities (if such a log existed) and they showed that the cleaners didn't actually come at the time of ticket. Again, the cost of hiring a lawyer with expertise to make this happen is probably more than the cost of the ticket.

Unfortunately, this is how these sorts of city revenue generators work. They know that people won't spend the money to fight them. If you want this not to happen to you or anyone else go to city council meetings, talk to local reps, and call the newspaper. You would be surprised how often talking to a newspaper helps. They are always looking for a good story and parking tickets are something that everybody hates.

[Geroi Asfalta]

Originally Posted by fmoore200

It is my contention that street sweepers don't actually clean anything, but instead just disburse garbage that has collected in the gutter into a wider area, creating the illusion of cleanliness

That's the way I see it as well....

Originally Posted by SBsoundguy

Street sweeping is tough work. Give the game a shot. I'm not sure if you can contest tickets in the sim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BXoMAcTqI8

I thought video games were already a waste of time.....

[kentiki]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

I got a parking ticket today for parking during street cleaning. OK, my fault. However, it has come to my attention, that they don't actually clean the street during the posted cleaning times. In fact, they don't clean that street at all.

Can I fight this? It doesn't sound very ethical to me.

It doesn't matter. If its posted. you can't park there.

In front of my house was a sign, no parking mondays 8am to 10am. I had the day off, ran some errands and upon arriving home saw that the streetsweeper was passing my house. So, I parked on the street even though it was 9:45. Yep, I got a ticket.

[bassgod0dmw]

Just send in the ticket as not guilty. They may just drop it. If not, they may ask you to pay less money.

Worst case, you go to court and talk with the prosecutor. They offer you to pay less money as well. If you aren't willing to pay that, then you go and talk to the judge about it. At that point, it's not worth your time unless the ticket was outrageous.

[tplyons]

Depends on your local laws. In my town, it is illegal to park on the street between 2AM and 6AM. The way the law written, it is an offense, nothing to do with street cleaning, but that's when they do it.

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

Just send in the ticket as not guilty. They may just drop it. If not, they may ask you to pay less money.

Worst case, you go to court and talk with the prosecutor. They offer you to pay less money as well. If you aren't willing to pay that, then you go and talk to the judge about it. At that point, it's not worth your time unless the ticket was outrageous.

+1. A lot of the time they'll reduce the ticket, especially if you're polite and businesslike about it rather than being obnoxious. I got a parking ticket cut in half with just a couple of emails to traffic enforcement saying I thought the spaces in question were covered by a "15 minutes free parking" sign that hung on a storefront there. If you tell them that assumed the signs were obsolete because they never clean the street you might get the same.

[HaMMerHeD]

I would contest it, simply because I can.

[yodedude2]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

I got a parking ticket today for parking during street cleaning. OK, my fault. However, it has come to my attention, that they don't actually clean the street during the posted cleaning times. In fact, they don't clean that street at all.

Can I fight this? It doesn't sound very ethical to me.

good luck fighting the man! perhaps you should ask 'how can i fight this?' instead of 'can i...'

anyway, to answer your question: you admit you broke the law. now you pay the price. i don't think the judge is interested in your sense of ethics.

[eyeballkid]

parking tickets are not about what's "right" they are about making the city money. period.