A DRIVER has shared his frustration after he got a $25 parking ticket minutes after paying to park in the spot.
He didn’t back down but instead went to war with the city after he was slapped with the unfair fee.
Tony Mella has shared his frustration over a parking citation he got despite paying to park in St. Petersburg, FloridaWFTS He said the parking meter failed to register that the spot had been paid forWFTS Mella had to go through the city to fight the chargesWFTSTony Mella, a resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, recently used the ParkMobile app to reserve a parking space.
But the meter failed to register that he paid for a spot.
“If you use the app to pay the meter, the meters do not reflect as paid,” Mella fumed in an interview with local ABC affiliate WFTS.
Within minutes, Mella was hit with a parking citation.
“Not really a lot of skin off of anybody’s back, but I felt wronged,” he said of the $25 fine.
He decided to fight the charge and was surprised at how difficult it was to get the issue corrected.
“I felt that there should have been an easier solution to this and there wasn’t,” he said.
Mella was eventually able to get the parking ticket dismissed, but it was an inconvenience.
In order to have the ticket removed, Mella had to reach out to the city.
He noted that contesting the ticket through the app wasn’t possible.
“There’s no information on how to dispute it [and report] an error,” said Mella.
“It gives you the option to pay the ticket – or to plead not guilty and take the ticket to court.”
Mella blamed the headache on an over-reliance on technology, saying the situation was too “tech-heavy.”
He said if he was able to easily pay for the parking spot using the tech, he should’ve been able to contest the ticket on the app too.
Mella also pointed out that being hit with a parking ticket can be a major setback for some.
“I think for many people, $25 is their tank of gas for the week or a couple weeks, it’s transportation to work, it’s half of a grocery bill,” he said.
Evan Mory, the director of transportation and parking for the City of St. Petersburg, said they’ve used the ParkMobile app for 15 years without much issue.
He attributed the mishap to human error.
“It’s very rare for somebody to have paid properly and still get a ticket,” Mory told WFTS.
“Of course, everybody is human and our officers can make a mistake every once in a while.”
Mory urged anyone who unjustly receives a parking ticket to contact the city’s transportation and parking department.
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid. Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too. Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid. Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees. When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument: “I didn’t know the law.” “I was on my way to move my car.” “I can’t afford this ticket.” “I’ve been doing this for years.” “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.” Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.Source: Reader’s Digest
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