Friday, August 03, 2007

Tough day!


Wow, this guy won't like coming back to his car... In fact it's probably a stolen car, because I don't think someone can have that many tickets in one day. FYI, the price of parking tickets is pretty affordable in Paris : 11 € if you're time is up and 35 € if you're parked in a no parking area (like this car, which was parked on a bridge on the Seine!!). ust out of curiosity how much is it where you live? (Please give the name of your town and your country).

53 comments:

  1. Poor guy!

    The last ticket I got was in Berkeley! I actually got 2 tickets rolled into one that day; I got the first one because I overstayed my welcome at the meter by 1 or 2 minutes (!!!), and another one at the same time because they noticed my registration sticker had fallen off my plaque. Mind you, they know the car was registered because they check, otherwise I would have gotten another ticket for that, too, they said! Still, I got to pay something like $35 for the missing sticker and $50 for the expired meter. In the old days you got "fix-it" tickets for stuff like that (you fixed whatever was wrong with the car, missing light or whatever, and the ticket went away) Nowadays, they only give you a $10 discount on the original ticket if you fix the problem. Actually, Berkeley is the only town I keep getting tickets in. Plenty of parking outside the city everywhere else I go. I don't even drive in San Francisco, because parking there costs more than my car, OK maybe not but almost, so I don't know how much an infraction like that would cost but I've seen cars get towed in San Francisco in less time than it took me to write this comment, so I don't even chance it.

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  2. I had to look it up for Scottsdale Arizona since, ahem, I have never gotten a ticket here(too busy flying). The basic price is $27 which goes up to $72 after 30 days. It is $360 if you park illegally in a handicap space!

    They give tickets here if you are parked the wrong way which made me laugh. I have pictures in London and Paris of cars parked nose to nose and rear to rear(keep your eyes out for this future tourists from the US). It is quite funny to our eyes and I notice it quite a bit in these 2 cities.When I have asked about it in London, I got a shrug, and a "Why not?"

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  3. Actually, I was hoping to buy a Smart Car as soon as they are available here so that I could park perpendicular to the curb! Now I must re-think that rebel strategy...

    $350 for parking in a handicapped spot in Chicago.

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  4. I agree, this car is stolen or abandoned. Or the owner has a really bad memory.

    Here in Olympia, which is a small city in Washington State, going over on the meter is $15. Parking in a no parking or restricted zone is $75. Frankly, I don't think that's enough for parking in a disabled parking zone.

    Zanabel
    Olympia Daily Photo

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  5. I had one parking ticket because the meter expired - $5.00 here in Little Rock, Arkansas. That seemed high to me but I paid it.

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  6. I've never gotten a parking ticket, but I can tell you that here in Orlando, FL they love pulling people over for speeding. Or maybe they like pulling just me over for speeding...
    I usually get the minimum fine - $80.

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  7. I've never had a parking ticket either. Most of our downtown has free parking.

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  8. In the relatively small town of Wassenaar NL, it's 50 euros if you are parked in the "blue zone" in the center. I just got 2 tickets for forgetting to put my pass on my dashboard. Ouch!

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  9. An abandoned car on a bridge across the Seine? Sounds like a jumper to me. Whatever the ultimate cost it just may be a matter for the executor of the diver's, I mean driver's estate.

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  10. These tickets are probably worth more than the car by now!!!

    Rabaul PNG - no parking tickets - you can park anywhere - except the bus stops - not because you'll get a ticket - only because the lunatics will park ontop of you!!

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  11. 12,5 euro in Brussels when your parking ticket expired. So a lot of people prefer a daily fee instead of putting money in the expensive meters every two hours.

    In the city of Gent where I live, you can pay up to 25 euro.

    Using your mobile while drivig costs you 100 euro.

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  12. Parking within a Demerit Points No Parking Zone in Singapore will cost you 3 demerit points and S$120.00

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  13. I had the pleasure of getting my car towed away once in Paris - just for parking in a no parking area where everyone parked every day! It cost me nearly 100 euros to get it back and that was 20 years ago!

    I think in Scotland it's £30/45 euros for a parking ticket.

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  14. In the UK (I live in Tewkesbury. nr. Cheltenham) the fine is £30 but if you don't pay within 30 days i think it is, it goes up to £60. Probably the most expensive listed here so far!?

    This picture intrigues me. The tickets must have been accumulated over time, yet they are all in good condition, no rain damage! Ours are left in polythene bags lol.

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  15. Ok Eric, this is really ridiculous. I can't believe that this person got all of these tickets in one day. And if in fact it was over a period of days, weeks, or even months, how on earth could the police let an abandoned car sit on a bridge in Paris without towing it? Sounds like a problem for Jack Bauer to solve!

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  16. You know, Michael, i think we have similar minds. It's clearly a case for...MICHLYNN INVESTIGATIONS, INC. I'll fly over this evening, we'll do a meet by the target, touch base, do a reccie,file the docs then retire to a nearby bar in our macs and trilby hats to mull it over. You in?

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  17. LOL

    I'm definitely in, but let's just jump to the "retire to a nearby bar" part! The rest seems like too much work...

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  18. Well the other day I paid £60 pounds for stopping in a bus stop!
    Of course I left my car there for a few minutes and went into the shops to grab a few things.
    Oh and I didn't pay the fine withint 14 days so it cost me £60 but don't tell anyone as I haven't told my husband about it!

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  19. Here in Clarion, Western PA, a ticket for going over the meter's time is $5.00, I believe, but it may be only $3.00. On the university campus, the same offense will cost you $15.00.

    Michael and Lynn - You guys keep me totally entertained. When will you have a series on network TV?

    Tomate - My daughter Claire did tell me that parking in San Francisco was absolutely impossible. Her boyfriend and she had to turn around and return to Berkeley once because they could not find a parking space in SF.

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  20. lol! I think you guys (Michael and Lynn) will need some help solving this case...the case of who can hold their wine the longest! Count me in!

    Eric, I would love to help you with how much parking tickets cost in St. Louis, but personally the last one I got was when I was 18 and wasn't even my fault. (No really, my friend borrowed my car and parked it a teeny bit on the grass!) I think the ticket was $5.

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  21. Michael - oh, okay then. I could really do with that right now. I've now got a clothes explosion going on in my bedroom erm jeans and a shirt or the little black dress? Trilby will look fine with each, so i'll keep that in. I seem to be permanently in wellie boots. It could well lend something to the dress, what do you reckon?

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  22. Elisabeth: Yes i'm up for the tv idea. I rather fancy the idea of being on a sofa next to Michael, mulling things over. Giggling coquettishly and putting on a discerning, intelligent look in turn. And that's just Michael. What would be the name of the show?

    The Michaelynn Show?
    The Daily Question?
    Virtual Flirts?
    no - i know -
    Fancy-Schmancy Words

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  23. Here in my part of San Diego (Hillcrest, the so-called Bohemian district) it's residents-only parking. $35 for an infraction. I got a ticket despite clearly having a resident's sticker. I fought it for 9 months and finally won my case, but the City refused to reimburse my expenses, which by then were fairly close to $35 anyway.

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  24. The last time I got a parking ticket in Richmond, VA, it was about $25. Parking was brutal where I lived downtown, but since I moved out to the suburbs I don't get parking tickets anymore, thank goodness.

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  25. I'm a law-abiding citizen here in Pensacola, Florida, Eric, so I don't have personal knowledge on this subject. :)

    Lynn, I agree with Elisabeth, you and Michael do entertain!!! Curious what he thinks of Wellies? They do serve a purpose. Without them, I couldn't have trekked up and down a dairy farm in Cambridge, NZ last year, but Wellington's and black dress??? :)

    Loraine

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  26. he he thanks, Loraine. It could be the new thing! Red carpet arrivals with hair piled on top, full make-up, designer dresses and ... wellies. Yes, i feel it!
    As for Michael, my first thought is that he'd hate the thought of wellies, especially with a dress. My second thought is the same.

    Still, needs must and since the floods, i've worn them so often the rubber and skin have i think merged. Think that might be a bit of a turn-off? Possibility, isn't it.

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  27. Downtown Baltimore, MD, USA - $75 for exceeding the 2 hour parking limit for non-residents. (you need a residential parking permit/guest pass if you plan to stay longer). Even so.. you need to move your car every two days or so, or it will be towed - that's WITH the residential permit!

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  28. In Portland, Oregon, the parking fines for overstaying your welcome at one of the metered spots is $24. For parking in a no parking zone it is $60. Handicapped areas are up to $450. If you don't pay within 30 days, the fines can double.

    phx-cdg, while it is technically a violation to park going the wrong direction, I have never seen it enforced unless it is in one of the metered spots...but then those tend to be on one way streets so...

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  29. Am running out of the office now so will be quick...

    Lynn said, "my first thought is that he'd hate the thought of wellies, especially with a dress." Personally Lynn, I hate spoiling a perfectly set of fancy-schmancy wellies with a dress, but if you insist...

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  30. Answering your question about what name to give the tv show...with the lovely English girl, wellies, sofa, wine, and soosha in the background watching, how does "We've got a TICKET to ride" sound? <--I'm trying to keep with the topic of the photo

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  31. Ok, that was really weak. Elisabeth, I think they'd cancel the show before it got started. Either that or give us both a ticket for hazardous blogging.

    Bon weekend everyone!

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  32. I think it was okay, Michael! Like the idea of the sofa AND wine. How about BLURRED WORDS ?

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  33. I think it costs $10 for overstaying your meter in Austin. No parking zone is likely to result in a tow and an expensive bail out of the car. It's been a long time since I got a ticket, though. We try to put the money in or park in a lot. After 5:30 (or 6:00PM some places) you don't have to plug the meters and also not on weekends and some holidays.

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  34. Linda Ball said, "you don't have to plug the meters and also not on weekends and some holidays"

    Lynn...is your mind as bad as mine?

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  35. I got a parking ticket three years ago at an expired meter: $25. I was at a party for the opening of a new gift shop, friend of mine. Expensive evening with the ticket, but because of all the free wine and food at the party, I actually had a pretty cheap evening.

    If you look closely, the name of the car's owner is readable on a couple tickets: M..i..c..h..a..e..l...something. Hey! Mystery solved, this week's episode is over, you all owe me drinks.

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  36. I parked on my college campus and the meter expired by 10 minutes and I got a $40 ticket...

    ...the ticket price doubles if you don't pay it in 30 days....

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  37. Michael, tis you? My investigative partner is the culprit himself of unruly parking? What say you Sir? Ooh i've gone all 18th century....

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  38. Oh my God, 40 comments on a parking ticket photo!!! (Well OK, 30 comments by Lynn and Michael LOL, thahnks for entertaining us all ;))

    Interesting to see how you break into two parts: the ones that never - or almost - never had a ticket and make it a point to show that you respect the law and therefore have no clue how much it costs and the ones that got tickets but, of course, for unfair reasons LOL

    And a third group (that spent too much time in France LOL (hey Nahal!) and got a fine, simply because they did not bother putting enough money in the machine...

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  39. (oops wrong thread,, sorry. Here you go)

    Well, on behalf of those of us who ... ahem.. "do not bother to put enough money in the meter," here is the thing... when 25 c only buys you like a minute and a half and you've dumped all the change in your wallet and you only bought yourself only like 12 minutes worth of parking and the next opportunity to make change is like a 25 minutes walk away, then you pretty much know you're SOL, lol...

    Still, I am now convinced that Berkeley keeps metermaids right in their trees along the sidewalks and the minute your time is expired, that metermaid descends from the tree and drops a ticket on your windshield, then gets right back into the tree and waits for the next sucker...

    Also, keep in mind that who gets tickets and who doesn't has a lot to do with supply and demand; many cars, no parking, well, your chances of getting a ticket increase far more than if you live in town with only 3 cars and a lot of parking.

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  40. I really feel that Michael and i should receive a 30DP fine each for going slightly off-topic and hogging the comments box. My apologies. lol. Actually, rethink; Michael a 50DP and me a pretty little 10DP fine. Can my ticket be pink please? Glittery? or is that too much to ask...

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  41. Tomate said..."Still, I am now convinced that Berkeley keeps metermaids right in their trees along the sidewalks and the minute your time is expired, that metermaid descends from the tree and drops a ticket on your windshield, then gets right back into the tree and waits for the next sucker..."

    You crack me up...

    Now, a serious question for Tomate and others. Do you think "breaking the rules" is a cultural thing? Hmmmm

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  42. Typical Lynn... a pretty young woman batting her eyelashes trying to get her fine reduced. I am sure that Eric is an equal opportunity DP cop and will distribute the fines equally. 50DP for you and 50DP for you. That's equal isn't it?

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  43. Now, a serious question for Tomate and others. Do you think "breaking the rules" is a cultural thing? Hmmmm

    Yeah, I think I see where you're going with that, but in my opinion, no matter who you are or where you come from, if you have to survive and it means breaking the rules, you most likely WILL break the rules.

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  44. Here in Sasebo, Japan, they've recently upped the fine to the equivalent of about $150 US, as our streets are SOOOO narrow, and there is so little parking. It is not uncommon for a driver to stop in front of a shop, put on his or her hazard lights, and run in for a little shopping...leaving traffic to figure out how to take turns to get around the stopped car.

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  45. LOL it most certainly is NOT, Michael! I feel that Eric will deliver a fair and just sentence (bat, bat - yes it has been known before i admit it)
    Anyway you just put it up to 100DP instead of 60DP! The nerve! Gosh i nearly fell off my heels! Therefore an extra 40 for you, making yours now 90DP and leaving mine a pretty pink 10DP!

    D'accord, Eric? Que pense-toi cheri?.......

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  46. The last ticket I got - maybe the only one I ever got!!!!!!! - was 432 euros. Actually I got it for speeding (10km/h above the speed limit, which is almost nothing). The initial fine was 90 euros, but I never received it as I had not had my address changed on my "carte grise". I have paid 45 euros so far. I asked for the photo of my car speeding in 2005 but have not received it yet.

    I usually never exceed speed limits. I don't park my car at the wrong places as I generally ride a bicycle.....

    Have a nice weekeend, Eric.

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  47. Oy! Watching in the background? Well as much as I like to be a voyuer, hows about occassional guest on your fancy pants show?!?

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  48. You can be our roving reporter in St. Louis Soosh. lol!

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  49. Like other bloggers from the UK, we have to stump up £30 or about 50 euros. Our traffic wardens are very keen to slap a ticket on any cars they can find. In fact they usually walk round the streets in groups of about 3.

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  50. I recently got a parking ticket in NYC. It was $65 for an expired meter. The stupid thing was, I did put quarters in the meter, just apparently the wrong one! I much prefer the European ticket method. That way everyone knows you paid.

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  51. Je n'arrive pas à publier de commentaires...

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