Anyone know how to beat parking tickets? (Chicago: lease, buy)

[HOWELL_STREET]

Dear Friends:

All of the posts are excellent and I would like to align one more comment with the excellent comments of "BRU67" as above.
In my own life - - the way I stay clear of the excessive taxation & prices that BRU67 has mentioned - - is to stay out of Chicago to begin with. Or if that is impossible then only ride & walk public transportation.
I have not been inside of the city of Chicago in about 15 years - - and I don't ever intend to go there, again. That's how I control my life regarding Chicago - City of Illinois.
Believe it or not, I have heard of at least one person getting a Chicago City delinquent notice (parking ticket bill) when he was miles from Chicago and never visited there. That's because some parking ticket constable (Constable On Patrol = COP) wrote down the wrong license plate number in error.

Carter Glass

[j33]

Well, I would have a very hard time staying out of Chicago being that is where my apartment, job, and about 95% of my friends and colleagues live.

[Manigault]

With all due respect, Mr. Glass, why don't you complete your effort to stay out of Chicago? That is, avoid Chicago television and radio and newspapers. Further, drink well water, not the water supplied to many suburbs far from the lake. Next, keep away from the general prosperity that is bestowed on the suburban areas due to the the large population in Chicago, their spending habits, their availability to supply labor and their willingness to pay taxes. Root for the Kane County Cougars not the Cubs. Stay out of O'Hare because, after all, that is located in the city. Finally, just no longer tell people you are from the Chicago area -- describe it as greater Rockford.

In payment of your accommodation I will give you one free pass each year so that you, like many suburbanites, can view the pretty lights on Michigan Avenue and the windows at Macy's during the Christmas season.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Manigault

In payment of your accommodation I will give you one free pass each year so that you, like many suburbanites, can view the pretty lights on Michigan Avenue and the windows at Macy's during the Christmas season.

And a roll of quarters for the parking meter.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Manigault

With all due respect, Mr. Glass, why don't you complete your effort to stay out of Chicago? That is, avoid Chicago television and radio and newspapers. Further, drink well water, not the water supplied to many suburbs far from the lake. Next, keep away from the general prosperity that is bestowed on the suburban areas due to the the large population in Chicago, their spending habits, their availability to supply labor and their willingness to pay taxes. Root for the Kane County Cougars not the Cubs. Stay out of O'Hare because, after all, that is located in the city. Finally, just no longer tell people you are from the Chicago area -- describe it as greater Rockford.

Can I get an amen?

[reppin_the_847]

If there's still time then go to court and fight the tickets, you may have a good shot at winning and having the tickets thrown out. Seriously, a significant percentage of contested tickets do end up getting thrown out! I was able to win once for a parking ticket that I received in the Skokie Swift parking lot, but of course that was in Skokie, not Chicago. I contested that particular ticket at the Old Orchard courthouse in Skokie.

Originally Posted by LillyPad

We have received three tickets for not having a current city sticker for Chicago. Do you know what we can do to not have to pay all three tickets?
Please help!

[reppin_the_847]

LOL! I agree though. As messed up as Chicago can be sometimes, the burbs wouldn't even exist and be as prosperous as they are were it not for the city.

Originally Posted by Manigault

With all due respect, Mr. Glass, why don't you complete your effort to stay out of Chicago? That is, avoid Chicago television and radio and newspapers. Further, drink well water, not the water supplied to many suburbs far from the lake. Next, keep away from the general prosperity that is bestowed on the suburban areas due to the the large population in Chicago, their spending habits, their availability to supply labor and their willingness to pay taxes. Root for the Kane County Cougars not the Cubs. Stay out of O'Hare because, after all, that is located in the city. Finally, just no longer tell people you are from the Chicago area -- describe it as greater Rockford.

In payment of your accommodation I will give you one free pass each year so that you, like many suburbanites, can view the pretty lights on Michigan Avenue and the windows at Macy's during the Christmas season.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

If there's still time then go to court and fight the tickets, you may have a good shot at winning and having the tickets thrown out. Seriously, a significant percentage of contested tickets do end up getting thrown out! I was able to win once for a parking ticket that I received in the Skokie Swift parking lot, but of course that was in Skokie, not Chicago. I contested that particular ticket at the Old Orchard courthouse in Skokie.

No dice here, because the evidence you provide is a case of self-selection bias. And by that I mean the reason "a significant percentage of contested tickets do end up getting thrown out" is because the percentage of people who contest their tickets is highly slanted toward those who have good grounds for doing so, plus the proof (or at least very convincing evidence) to back their claim of innocence. The rest don't bother contesting their tickets because they know it's a waste of their time. "Innocent until proven guilty" does not apply here since it is a civil infraction. Being issued a ticket is considered per se evidence of your guilt and it is your burden to refute the ticket with your own evidence to the contrary. If the ticket was legitimately written, it won't be thrown out just because you took the time to show up and contest it. Even tickets that were not legitimately written will be upheld unless you have clear evidence that you are not guilty. The only way I see getting out of an "No or Improperly Displayed Sticker" ticket is if the car was not actually registered to a Chicago address and the OP can prove he lives at the registered address. This is not a standard court he'd be going to where a judge may take mercy and reduce his fine for the convenience of pleading guilty. Tickets are heard by administrative hearing officers who have no mercy: either you're guilty, in which case you pay the full fine, or you're not guilty, in which case you had VERY convincing evidence that the ticket was written in error.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by Drover

No dice here, because the evidence you provide is a case of self-selection bias. And by that I mean the reason "a significant percentage of contested tickets do end up getting thrown out" is because the percentage of people who contest their tickets is highly slanted toward those who have good grounds for doing so, plus the proof (or at least very convincing evidence) to back their claim of innocence. The rest don't bother contesting their tickets because they know it's a waste of their time. "Innocent until proven guilty" does not apply here since it is a civil infraction. Being issued a ticket is considered per se evidence of your guilt and it is your burden to refute the ticket with your own evidence to the contrary. If the ticket was legitimately written, it won't be thrown out just because you took the time to show up and contest it. Even tickets that were not legitimately written will be upheld unless you have clear evidence that you are not guilty. The only way I see getting out of an "No or Improperly Displayed Sticker" ticket is if the car was not actually registered to a Chicago address and the OP can prove he lives at the registered address. This is not a standard court he'd be going to where a judge may take mercy and reduce his fine for the convenience of pleading guilty. Tickets are heard by administrative hearing officers who have no mercy: either you're guilty, in which case you pay the full fine, or you're not guilty, in which case you had VERY convincing evidence that the ticket was written in error.

Exactly. If you should have had the sticker and didn't, there is no way that it will get thrown out. Otherwise, we could all just park where we like and go to court to not have to pay! I may be wrong, but if you are found to be in the wrong with this, don't you have to pay court fees?

[dcoolbro]

Heck I moved out of the state and they're still tryin to get me for some ticket I swear I paid for four years ago. It's crazy.