The letter from the editor in the observer

[Guest dave S.]

I have a quick comment about the letter, i guess from the editor in the observer this week about parking at your own risk . I think the writer is totally out of bounds on this one. What would the writer want the parking authority people to do? not write tickets? its their job to write tickets for expired meters. Thats there one and only job, thats what they are looking for , expired meters...so if they see a meter that has expired, they are told to write a ticket.

Now, i have gotten many many many parking tickets for not moving my vehicle for the sweeper and a couple for time running out. And yeah, it stinks, but i pay my fine because i know i was wrong. the fact that the the writer of the article states, "the meter just expired like 5 minutes ago" doesn't matter. that means she should have put a quarter in the meter 6 minutes prior and she wouldn't have a ticket. She tells people in the article to write the judge if they feel they have been wrongly given a parking ticket. The only way you should write the judge a letter is if the meter was broken.

This idea that it was only 5 minutes expired is insane. She sounds like a crybaby to me. Nobody wants to hear you couldn't find a quarter. We all have to put money in the meter and so should she. She also makes it a point that the parking authority car was parking in the yellow. Well NJ law allows government vehicles to be in violation of title 39 while on duty. With parking being hard to find, i dont want a spot being taken up by a violations car when i could put my car there. Plus it would be rediculous for one of the officers to have to look for parking every time they were to get out to issue summonses.

It sounds petty, but im sick of liberal media outlets complaining about everything. Its time americans stop thinking of themselves as victims and start standing up and taking responsiblity for ones actions.

[Guest Lincoln Logger]

I have a quick comment about the letter, i guess from the editor in the observer this week about parking at your own risk . I think the writer is totally out of bounds on this one. What would the writer want the parking authority people to do? not write tickets? its their job to write tickets for expired meters. Thats there one and only job, thats what they are looking for , expired meters...so if they see a meter that has expired, they are told to write a ticket.

Now, i have gotten many many many parking tickets for not moving my vehicle for the sweeper and a couple for time running out. And yeah, it stinks, but i pay my fine because i know i was wrong. the fact that the the writer of the article states, "the meter just expired like 5 minutes ago" doesn't matter. that means she should have put a quarter in the meter 6 minutes prior and she wouldn't have a ticket. She tells people in the article to write the judge if they feel they have been wrongly given a parking ticket. The only way you should write the judge a letter is if the meter was broken.

This idea that it was only 5 minutes expired is insane. She sounds like a crybaby to me. Nobody wants to hear you couldn't find a quarter. We all have to put money in the meter and so should she. She also makes it a point that the parking authority car was parking in the yellow. Well NJ law allows government vehicles to be in violation of title 39 while on duty. With parking being hard to find, i dont want a spot being taken up by a violations car when i could put my car there. Plus it would be rediculous for one of the officers to have to look for parking every time they were to get out to issue summonses.

It sounds petty, but im sick of liberal media outlets complaining about everything. Its time americans stop thinking of themselves as victims and start standing up and taking responsiblity for ones actions.

To Dave S.

I hope you have a dog because here is the challenge for you. Take your dog for a walk up Kearny Avenue and look at the parking meters about the area of Lincoln School to about Lynn Chevrolet. I happened to do that the other night because it was warm out and well my dog needed a good long walk. It was surprising to me that on average one out of 4 meters read "Out of Order". It is fairly easy to spot because the expired ones have the flashing red on them and the ones with money are green across the display. The ones with neither ready "Out of Order" in small print. So what is someone to do once you park there and the meter person gives a ticket; and they do give tickets. So if you are talking about crybabies then what is a person to do, especially a senior? They should get the meters fixed in the first place. Why should they have to write to the judge when even putting money in the meter would not have helped in the first place. And it was different when parking tickets weren't $35 either.

[Guest KardinalTommy]

I have a quick comment about the letter, i guess from the editor in the observer this week about parking at your own risk . I think the writer is totally out of bounds on this one. What would the writer want the parking authority people to do? not write tickets? its their job to write tickets for expired meters. Thats there one and only job, thats what they are looking for , expired meters...so if they see a meter that has expired, they are told to write a ticket.

Now, i have gotten many many many parking tickets for not moving my vehicle for the sweeper and a couple for time running out. And yeah, it stinks, but i pay my fine because i know i was wrong. the fact that the the writer of the article states, "the meter just expired like 5 minutes ago" doesn't matter. that means she should have put a quarter in the meter 6 minutes prior and she wouldn't have a ticket. She tells people in the article to write the judge if they feel they have been wrongly given a parking ticket. The only way you should write the judge a letter is if the meter was broken.

This idea that it was only 5 minutes expired is insane. She sounds like a crybaby to me. Nobody wants to hear you couldn't find a quarter. We all have to put money in the meter and so should she. She also makes it a point that the parking authority car was parking in the yellow. Well NJ law allows government vehicles to be in violation of title 39 while on duty. With parking being hard to find, i dont want a spot being taken up by a violations car when i could put my car there. Plus it would be rediculous for one of the officers to have to look for parking every time they were to get out to issue summonses.

It sounds petty, but im sick of liberal media outlets complaining about everything. Its time americans stop thinking of themselves as victims and start standing up and taking responsiblity for ones actions.

Dear Dave S., I did not read the letter that you are referring to however I think the larger issue is town parking meters in general. This to me is an antiquated system which generally ends up penalizing those folks who are supporting local shops and businesses. Nowadays with ez pass, credit/debit cards and supporting local teams + charities with any change I get, I rarely have coins in my pocket or car to feed these meters. My suggestion would be to entirely do away with these damn contraptions and the salaries of these grumpy ol' men who enforce them. Is it just me or are these some of the most miserable people on the planet. Maybe if they were a little more cheerful I would be more apt to

let them do their job. sorry, but that's how I feel.

[Guest dave S.]

To Dave S.

I hope you have a dog because here is the challenge for you. Take your dog for a walk up Kearny Avenue and look at the parking meters about the area of Lincoln School to about Lynn Chevrolet. I happened to do that the other night because it was warm out and well my dog needed a good long walk. It was surprising to me that on average one out of 4 meters read "Out of Order". It is fairly easy to spot because the expired ones have the flashing red on them and the ones with money are green across the display. The ones with neither ready "Out of Order" in small print. So what is someone to do once you park there and the meter person gives a ticket; and they do give tickets. So if you are talking about crybabies then what is a person to do, especially a senior? They should get the meters fixed in the first place. Why should they have to write to the judge when even putting money in the meter would not have helped in the first place. And it was different when parking tickets weren't $35 either.

I am not saying if the meter is out of order a person should not write the judge. My point was that the article was written because the writer was mad because she got a parking ticket because her meter ran out and she didn't put another quarter in. She basically bashed the meter guys because she got a ticket when it was her own fault for not putting a quarter in. Her excuse was that it was only 5 minutes over due and they should have given her a break. She made it seem like they waited there for her meter to expire and jumped on her car to put a ticket on it. If the town was smart they would just get rid of meters all together...i wonder how much money it costs to pay for all the meter maids, gas ofr their vehicles, and repair of the meters. ? can someone from the town post that ...then post how much revenue the meters bring in. I would guess salaries, pensions, medical expenses, and gas for vehicles, costs more then the quarters we are gettting.

[Guest guest]

I am not saying if the meter is out of order a person should not write the judge. My point was that the article was written because the writer was mad because she got a parking ticket because her meter ran out and she didn't put another quarter in. She basically bashed the meter guys because she got a ticket when it was her own fault for not putting a quarter in. Her excuse was that it was only 5 minutes over due and they should have given her a break. She made it seem like they waited there for her meter to expire and jumped on her car to put a ticket on it. If the town was smart they would just get rid of meters all together...i wonder how much money it costs to pay for all the meter maids, gas ofr their vehicles, and repair of the meters. ? can someone from the town post that ...then post how much revenue the meters bring in. I would guess salaries, pensions, medical expenses, and gas for vehicles, costs more then the quarters we are gettting.

You also have to ask how much they make with the tickets, and i'm sure it more then balances out.

[Guest Guest]

You also have to ask how much they make with the tickets, and i'm sure it more then balances out.

most tickets written on a state ticket book , the fine goes to the state only a small portion goes to the municipality. There is a small box where the officer can write in the ordinance code (which the town will have one for expired meters). The person would have to write in the ordinance code there for the town to make the money...if they are just circling or checking expired meter on the ticket, it goes to the state..

[Guest Observer of the Observer]

I have a quick comment about the letter, i guess from the editor in the observer this week about parking at your own risk . I think the writer is totally out of bounds on this one. What would the writer want the parking authority people to do? not write tickets? its their job to write tickets for expired meters. Thats there one and only job, thats what they are looking for , expired meters...so if they see a meter that has expired, they are told to write a ticket.

Now, i have gotten many many many parking tickets for not moving my vehicle for the sweeper and a couple for time running out. And yeah, it stinks, but i pay my fine because i know i was wrong. the fact that the the writer of the article states, "the meter just expired like 5 minutes ago" doesn't matter. that means she should have put a quarter in the meter 6 minutes prior and she wouldn't have a ticket. She tells people in the article to write the judge if they feel they have been wrongly given a parking ticket. The only way you should write the judge a letter is if the meter was broken.

This idea that it was only 5 minutes expired is insane. She sounds like a crybaby to me. Nobody wants to hear you couldn't find a quarter. We all have to put money in the meter and so should she. She also makes it a point that the parking authority car was parking in the yellow. Well NJ law allows government vehicles to be in violation of title 39 while on duty. With parking being hard to find, i dont want a spot being taken up by a violations car when i could put my car there. Plus it would be rediculous for one of the officers to have to look for parking every time they were to get out to issue summonses.

It sounds petty, but im sick of liberal media outlets complaining about everything. Its time americans stop thinking of themselves as victims and start standing up and taking responsiblity for ones actions.

I agree with Dave S. While the issues of the functionality or antiquity of parking meters may be legitimate, the writer did not frame her piece around these issues. It was more of a crybaby piece in which she admitted the guilt of nearly every person she knew who received a ticket, but then whined about how inappropriate the tickets were. One would think this would be obvious to a professional journalist, but perhaps not. How can the writer expect a violations officer to know that an offending vehicle belongs to a person who has only been in violation for "5 minutes," or to a person who simply went to look for change? Furthermore, it is not the duty of the violations officer to judge whether meter parking is an effective system and how it impacts the patrons of local businesses; that is an issue for the town government to weigh. It is the job of the violations officers to find the violators and ticket them. According to the writer's piece, it would seem that the officers are doing an excellent job of fulfilling their job descriptions. On the other hand, she oversees a newspaper that can't seem to publish an edition without a full complement of spelling, grammatical, and factual errors. Maybe cleaning up her own house would make a nice topic for her next editorial.