The above picture is one that I took on Friday. I have seen this sign several times and read it a few times and never thought it would have an impact on my life… until Friday. You see, this past Friday, this sign came with a little, tiny envelope on my windshield holding a little, tiny parking violation. I find it funny that they make these so small; almost to point out that the fine is really small and insignificant so you really shouldn’t worry about it much.
Now back to the sign in question. I have parked under this sign at least 20 times in the past two years. It is around the corner from my favorite coffee joint downtown. It is actually a pretty popular parking spot! It’s not open very much and when it is, I always swoop in to take it. It is close to the coffee shop, has some shade and is off the main street (it is off of Main Street, actually) so I don’t have to deal with traffic zooming past. I would say this is a prime parking spot and I also think that I am not alone in the thought that it was safe to park there.
When I read the sign the first time, I thought to myself, “Well, I am not a commercial vehicle, I am only going to be about 15 minutes, and it is not a Sunday or Holiday… I’m Golden!” I also thought that it was strange that they would have to say that commercial vehicles were prohibited because this parking spot is on the side of a building with no door to unload anything. So I parked in this spot time and time again, not worrying at all. And then Friday happened.
Finding this little gem on my windshield set me off like you I can’t describe, but let me try. I was as pissed off as when somebody texts me and then doesn’t answer my phone call 3 seconds later… no that’s not it. I was a pissed off as when the automated phone lady tells you to press #3 to talk to a representative and it goes back to the start of the recording… nope. As pissed as when I am next to a driver who is OBVIOUSLY turning right, but has to swerve left into my lane first in order to make such a “complicated maneuver”. Close, but not really close enough for this exercise. Nutshell: PISSED OFF!
I read the ticket and it said that I was fined because I was NOT a commercial vehicle. WHAT?!?! The sign says “No Parking Commercial Vehicles. Only 30 mins. 8am to 6pm daily”!!! Hold on… does it say “No Parking. Commercial Vehicles Only. 30 mins. 8am to 6pm daily”? Not being the sharpest bulb in the Crayon box, I picked up the phone and called. When I called the automated phone lady told me to press #3 to talk to a representative and it went BACK TO THE RECORDING!!! ARGH!!! I pushed #3 again and somebody picked up.
I explained that I received a parking ticket and before I could explain my mental dilemma, I was told “Sir, it’s only a $20 and you can contest it if you want to go through all of that.” I told her that I was going to pay the fine but needed clarification about the sign. She made an audible “HRUMPH” and let me explain. She told me that what I didn’t understand was the “implied punctuation” in the sign due to space restrictions and that no parking means no parking and that the “international symbol of a picture that was circled and had a diagonal line through it was internationally known.” Really… THAT is where we are going to go with all of this?
Now it was Friday and late in the afternoon so I gave her as much slack as I could muster and told her that I didn’t understand why the punctuation had to be “implied” since there was a period after the after 30 mins to shorten it from minutes! Obviously some punctuation was able to be used on these signs!
Her reply was simple and may be the best customer service reply I have ever heard because I had no reply but so say thank you and hang up… “Sir, I don’t make the signs and I have worked here for 9 years and you are the first person to call and not understand the sign and we write a LOT of tickets under those signs. Do you have any other concerns? The instructions to mail in your fine are on the ticket. Have a great day!”
Got my money order today… dropped it in the mail. I hated to do it. I am really really ranty because of it. But punctuation got me! $20 at a time, punctuation is paying for our roadways and repairs and the like. I bet there are a lot of grumpy $20 money orders sent in!!
At least I didn’t misread this sign!
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