I got home late last Thursday night and parked on the wrong side of the street I usually park on, not realizing that street cleaning for the side I parked on was on Tuesdays and Fridays, 11.30am to 1pm. Got a fine the next day, which came as a surprise since I didn't know I was doing anything wrong.
Fast forward to today, and I went to school in the afternoon for a class. Just before I turned onto the street I usually park on at school, this sportbike overtakes me and turns onto the same street, taking the only free space available that would have taken two bikes, except he parks his bike diagonally right in the center of the space. The other cars were parked bumper-to-bumper literally, so there was no way I could squeeze my bike in anywhere.
I go round the block back to the same street to see if there was a spot I might have missed. There's this car double parked with the owner standing outside, obviously waiting for one of the cars to leave. I try to park in a nice gap between the cars, but he starts saying, "Don't you park there, this car's going in there and Imma knock you over if I don't got space!"
So I spot a few Vespas parked on the pavement and thought why not? I see them parked on the pavement all the time so it must be ok. I do what they do, lock my bike up and go for class, only to come back an hour later and find a parking ticket for $115 issued just 5 minutes before I got back.
I walk up to the Vespas parked on the pavement, and notice they don't have any tickets, which is when I also notice that their owners had removed the plates. The car which was double parked earlier is now parked in the lot the owner was waiting for, and there was PLENTY of space for my bike. :sigh:
I know it's my fault (coupled with some a**holes and bad luck), but it really sucks to be out $180 for nothing. I just needed to get that out...so thanks for listening/reading.
Fast forward to today, and I went to school in the afternoon for a class. Just before I turned onto the street I usually park on at school, this sportbike overtakes me and turns onto the same street, taking the only free space available that would have taken two bikes, except he parks his bike diagonally right in the center of the space. The other cars were parked bumper-to-bumper literally, so there was no way I could squeeze my bike in anywhere.
I go round the block back to the same street to see if there was a spot I might have missed. There's this car double parked with the owner standing outside, obviously waiting for one of the cars to leave. I try to park in a nice gap between the cars, but he starts saying, "Don't you park there, this car's going in there and Imma knock you over if I don't got space!"
So I spot a few Vespas parked on the pavement and thought why not? I see them parked on the pavement all the time so it must be ok. I do what they do, lock my bike up and go for class, only to come back an hour later and find a parking ticket for $115 issued just 5 minutes before I got back.
I walk up to the Vespas parked on the pavement, and notice they don't have any tickets, which is when I also notice that their owners had removed the plates. The car which was double parked earlier is now parked in the lot the owner was waiting for, and there was PLENTY of space for my bike. :sigh:
I know it's my fault (coupled with some a**holes and bad luck), but it really sucks to be out $180 for nothing. I just needed to get that out...so thanks for listening/reading.
