What a Racket!

For the most part I love living in Somerville, but there are some things that just really piss me off.

For example the racket they have going on with the parking situation.

Every year I have to get a permit for $12 (resident and 2 guest)- I am ok with that, but the permit has to renew in March because 'that is the zone' WTF!? So when I first got the permit in November or whenever I first got it a few years ago - I paid $12 for 4 months, then had to pay another $12 in March again! It's not a lot of money, but still if I get a permit for a 'year' it should really be for a 'year' not 2 months, for 4 months - 12 months!!! Today I was in the parking clerks office and the woman next to me just moved here and was getting on and they told her the same bullshit - oh you can't get this July-July - this is only good till March - it's your 'zone'.

Then there are the parking tickets because of 'street cleaning'. If it rains they don't clean the streets, but still ticket!!!! So I can't go on vacation for a week without bringing my car, because I have to move my car at least 2 times a week because of street cleaning 12am-6am two nights a week. Which of course creates a parking nightmare when you can only park on one side of the street overnight. If you forget they of course are quick to ticket.

Then there is the wonderful $30 or maybe even now $50 ticket for 'parking too close to an intersection'. What I love about this one is that we park in the same spot almost every day. Occasionally we have gotten this ticket, most of the time we don't. So I don't understand how only sometimes it's too close, but the other 90% of the time it's totally fine. Must be around end of the month quota time - lets screw residents that park in this same spot every day. I suggested fighting the ticket, bf thinks that is just a bigger waste of time. OH and I should add by 'intersection' they mean a very small one way side street with no light. RIGHT - definitely screwing up traffic at an 'intersection'! OH and the you parked here longer than 2 hours ticket is great. I parked in the same spot every day for about a year. Then one day (around labor day/moving time for college students) - I got a ticket! For violating the 2 hour limit! I literally had parked there every single day for a year without one! And I have never gotten that ticket again either!

Snow emergencies are another joy - first a $100 ticket if you don't make it home in time from work [or wherever you were off to when they declared it] to move your car, then a tow ride on top of that. WOO HOO! Oh and then when you go to the other lots to park, once the ban has been lifted you have 2 hours to get your car out of the lot or MORE tickets/towing. Gotta love it.

Which all leads me to today. I went to go get the parking restriction signs I need to allow a truck next to my building to move out ($10). My guess is I need them for a maximum of 3 hours (maybe less). My new condo has a driveway so I will just have the moving truck pull into that. So all I need were 2 of those restriction signs to hang up on my street for the movers. I have a front lot in my building, but it's slanted so I figured it would just be easier to park on the street - which now that I'm thinking about it - is also slanted. Whatever.

When I moved in I got the 2 signs - hung them up and the movers moved everything in quickly. I fill out the form to get the restriction which BTW they ask for my SS number? UM no don't think so - there is no reason you need my SS number for a 3 hour parking restriction!! WTF!? Then the lady tells me there is a new policy that I have to pay $25 to get a temporary moving van permit for EACH street and then the parking restriction signs for each street. UM no I'm not paying an additional $60 so Somerville can make even more money off me. I said when I moved in I only needed the restrictions - and I already paid for visitor permits. She says yea - you can't use those anymore we changed the rule 2 weeks ago. I mean really. What a bunch of bullshit. For years and years - they made $10 for parking restriction signs, and people probably put their guest parking permit in the window of the moving van. Now suddenly they need to charge $25 per day per vehicle, per street (one moving from and then one moving to)?

Why can't they find better ways to generate revenue than by scamming their residents on parking???? WTF!! So now I'm just going to have the moving van park in my lot on the hill and deal with it. I refuse to waste money on bullshit like that - oh that wouldn't have cost me almost anything 2 weeks ago.