Parking ticket in LA (Santa Monica, West Hollywood: neighborhood, safety, cars)

[MordinSolus]

Originally Posted by genjy

...the meter maid marked a tire...

Is that what that is? I notice those marks on my tires from time to time(mostly in WeHo and DTLA) and was wondering what the hell they were from.

[genjy]

Yup... it's usually like a line or two. The meter maids have a way to decipher them.

[wushuliu]

Originally Posted by gomason

I got a $60 parking ticket in Hollywood for parking like a couple inches "over the line." Am I the only one that thinks this is absolutely ridiculous? Why there are even lines in the first place I don't know. I didn't think to look at the pavement, because in most cities you park between the two signs and there aren't any cute little lines.

I could understand $60 if I had parked somewhere completely illegally, but really?

Cops are out in force right now. Maybe cause colleges are out and all the fresh meat is coming in for the season. I see five o traps all over the past few weeks.

But yeah, welcome to Los Angeles. People are going to try and be all 'you need to read the rules' but that BS cause nobody in this city follows the 'rules'. it's all about secret handshakes; knowing when and how to do what where and when and get away with it - and apply to all areas of your life while you're here.

[MordinSolus]

Originally Posted by wushuliu

Cops are out in force right now. Maybe cause colleges are out and all the fresh meat is coming in for the season. I see five o traps all over the past few weeks.

But yeah, welcome to Los Angeles. it's all about secret handshakes; knowing when and how to do what where and when and get away with it - and apply to all areas of your life while you're here.

Oh, is that how you find the secret free parking that meter maids don't dare check?

[TheOldBear]

Originally Posted by genjy

Yup... it's usually like a line or two. The meter maids have a way to decipher them.

They use a piece of chalk on the end of a stick that is dragged across the back of your street-side rear tire leaving a line parallel to the street. If the next enforcement patrol sees that line, they ticket you. If you move your car a couple spaces forward and still have that visible chalk mark you still get a ticket.



The really BAD news is that some agencies have cameras that read and record your license tag . . . no getting around these bad boys and they'll get you for all kinds of other stuff like obscured plates, no current registration sticker, no front plate. This is, of course, that fine line where maintaining the civil peace blurs with revenue enhancement.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Didn't think, is key here. If you take a few seconds to make sure you park within the lines, abide by the posted signs(2 hour parking, no parking Tues 10am to 2pm), you can avoid these problems.

There are lines in the first place to designate the actual parking space, it also helps leave appropriate space between the parked cars.

Thanks for the lecture.

I checked the signs to make sure it was legal. If you read my post, you would know why I didn't look for lines. Only major city in the world I've ever visited that has lines for parking spots.

Also, I see people park on the east coast with their cars half way past the sign and usually parking enforcement could care less as long as you pay. I guess parking enforcement in LA comes around with their rulers.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by gomason

I got a $60 parking ticket in Hollywood for parking like a couple inches "over the line." Am I the only one that thinks this is absolutely ridiculous? Why there are even lines in the first place I don't know. I didn't think to look at the pavement, because in most cities you park between the two signs and there aren't any cute little lines.

I could understand $60 if I had parked somewhere completely illegally, but really?

This place is the worst when it comes to the scarcity of good parking areas and the outrageous fines that they assess you if you make one mistake. ON the bright side, there is not much that they can do to you if you drive with an out of state plate. They pretty much have you by the balls with a Calif tag wince they will withhold your new registration. By the way, there will be some posters who think that this parking system is morally right and that you are clearly in the wrong.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by gomason

Thanks for the lecture.

I checked the signs to make sure it was legal. If you read my post, you would know why I didn't look for lines. Only major city in the world I've ever visited that has lines for parking spots.

Also, I see people park on the east coast with their cars half way past the sign and usually parking enforcement could care less as long as you pay. I guess parking enforcement in LA comes around with their rulers.

I did read your post, you're the one who screwed up. How can you not notice the lines?

Perhaps stop texting for a few seconds and pay attention.

I am not the world's best when it comes to parking, so before I turn the car off, I make sure I'm within the lines and close enough to the curb, and if parking on an incline, make sure the wheels are turned in or out depending which way direction you're facing.

While parking in LA may be more cumbersome than other places, there are easy ways to avoid getting parking tickets.

Unless you just blew into LA and this was your first time parking, how do you not know about the lines? And that doesn't sound like the case.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by wehotex

This place is the worst when it comes to the scarcity of good parking areas

"This place" is quite subjective. In Silverlake yesterday, midday, and saw parking signs that went on for blocks---on Sunset Blvd. no less---that read "10 Hour Parking." There were spaces available. Totally unmetered. Yes, they had the little white lines. Still, a shock to me. There is lots of unregulated and free street parking in many areas of LA. No so in many other major cities---Chicago, Philly, NY come to mind---just watch "Parking Wars."

[bpeeps]

Originally Posted by wehotex

This place is the worst when it comes to the scarcity of good parking areas and the outrageous fines that they assess you if you make one mistake. ON the bright side, there is not much that they can do to you if you drive with an out of state plate. They pretty much have you by the balls with a Calif tag wince they will withhold your new registration. By the way, there will be some posters who think that this parking system is morally right and that you are clearly in the wrong.

How does one make a parking mistake? Read the signs. Park in between the lines. Park no more than 18 inches from the curb. Feed the meter if necessary. All basic driver's ed stuff; I don't get why everyone's making it a huge deal in this post.

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

"This place" is quite subjective. In Silverlake yesterday, midday, and saw parking signs that went on for blocks---on Sunset Blvd. no less---that read "10 Hour Parking." There were spaces available. Totally unmetered. Yes, they had the little white lines. Still, a shock to me. There is lots of unregulated and free street parking in many areas of LA. No so in many other major cities---Chicago, Philly, NY come to mind---just watch "Parking Wars."

Very few people know this, but they are a ton of streets you can park on in West Hollywood / Fairfax District south of Santa Monica and east of La Cienega for free. Only restrictions are the 2 hour street cleanings on either side of the road. Yet, posters talk about WeHo like it's the black hole of public parking. I guess nobody takes the time to read signs these days.