contest parking tickets? (Chicago: buying, legally, moving)

[Drover]

Well there's certainly no such thing in this town. If you see an agent walk up to your car with the book or machine out, you better hope you can pull off before they get your plate number. They're the type who will stand there and keep right on writing the ticket even as they're watching you get in your car. I know because I've had it happen. Got the ticket in the mail 3 weeks later.

I remember getting a parking ticket in Urbana a couple years ago. I was pissed off until I pulled the ticket out of the envelope and read it: $5 fine. They even have drop boxes next to some of the meters so you can pay your fine on the spot. If I could have, I would have written a note along with payment saying "Here's a $20. That oughtta be enough to let me park whenever and wherever I want in your little town from now on."

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by hxcobd

Being as I'm fairly new to this city, I was parked in a free parking zone that becomes "non-free" on baseball game nights, something I had absolutely no idea about (and no intention to keep a baseball calendar in my room to follow up on such things)...

I don't get what you are doing here. Why don't you go to the Alderman's office or go online and buy some 383 guest passes? They are like 30 for $16. Or buy a city sticker already with your yearly zone sticker.

If you are going to live by the ballpark you better keep a baseball calendar.

[grapico]

Hrrmm... I had 7 tickets, got 5 of them removed... so, I would say it is worth a shot... I challenged every single one of them. Walked in and waited on my lunch hour downtown, and filled out the challenge by mail option. They were all BS tickets as well. I lived very close to the loop in printers row, and some days those corrupt ticket cops would just blanket the entire street with them esp during say... a Bears game or something going on in Grant Park where there are a bunch of illegally parked cars and people park there and walk to soldier field/gp etc. I had one that said my license was expired, when it clearly wasn't... they couldn't read a 07 from an 08 apparently... Several ones where they claimed I didn't have a zone pass even though its stuck in my damn window... etc. etc. I think sometimes they just thought cars weren't supposed to be parked there, and assumed there was no residential zone there, when in fact there are 2 residential zones in the area.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by grapico

Hrrmm... I had 7 tickets, got 5 of them removed... so, I would say it is worth a shot...

The neighborhood parking pass is $25 and the city sticker is $75. Why go through all the hassle of fighting tickets and having to pay a few when one can avoid the pain and just have the sticker? Makes no sense to me.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

The neighborhood parking pass is $25 and the city sticker is $75. Why go through all the hassle of fighting tickets and having to pay a few when one can avoid the pain and just have the sticker? Makes no sense to me.

Oh I had both of them, I still got tickets. If you don't believe me, I'll have my old roommate come on here and post, he had same experience, more tickets than I did actually. (he is a member)

[JustinHaugens]

Tickets tickets tickets everyday it seemed like at times!

We would have neighborhood parking passes and still receive tickets. West Loop, United Center area does not charge a fee for the passes but requires them to pick out who is local and who is an event goer.

Chicago's TMA along with the Department of Revenue are out for blood. There is no way they could possibly tell me that there is no incentive for writing tickets, that they would write that many because "it's their job."

Parking violations are pure revenue for the city. If you think parking passes and city stickers matter, get over it. Grapico even received a parking violation for not having a front license plate. HELLO, THE CAR IS REGISTERED IN FLORIDA AND TEMPORARILY IN CHICAGO. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE TWO PLATES.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by JustinHaugens

Tickets tickets tickets everyday it seemed like at times!

We would have neighborhood parking passes and still receive tickets. West Loop, United Center area does not charge a fee for the passes but requires them to pick out who is local and who is an event goer.

Chicago's TMA along with the Department of Revenue are out for blood. There is no way they could possibly tell me that there is no incentive for writing tickets, that they would write that many because "it's their job."

Parking violations are pure revenue for the city. If you think parking passes and city stickers matter, get over it. Grapico even received a parking violation for not having a front license plate. HELLO, THE CAR IS REGISTERED IN FLORIDA AND TEMPORARILY IN CHICAGO. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE TWO PLATES.

haha oh yeah, forgot about that one!

note this occured in 2 separate places, west loop AND printers row. I think it might just be the proximity to downtown and there are ticket people EVERYWHERE.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by grapico

Oh I had both of them, I still got tickets. If you don't believe me...

What did you get tickets for?

[grapico]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

What did you get tickets for?

not being zone sticker, illegally parked, license plates expired, you name it. As I said, they will literally just blanket the street. I remember walking to work past the cars in the morning and sometimes almost every car had a ticket on it.

[jwaiter]

Well are your tickets invalid? Then, yes definitely contest them, I have successfully contested MANY tickets and have had the fine waived. If, otoh, they are valid, you are probably wasting time contesting.