alas, victory is mine!
06/13/2007
We have received your inquiry regarding the parking citation listed below.
We have reviewed your claim and found it to be valid. Therefore, the citation has been dismissed.
No payment or further action is necessary. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
DEPARTMENT OF PARKING AND TRAFFIC
so i'm 2 for 3. well, i never attempted that 3rd one cuz i'm pretty sure there was nothing i could say so i just paid it. but if there is something you CAN say...HOW TO CONTEST A PARKING CITATION:
April 10, 2007
Citation Review Center
1380 Howard St., Suite 1000
San Francisco, CA 94103
Re: Request for administrative review - Parking Citation #
To Whom It May Concern:
I drove up to San Francisco from Los Angeles last weekend. Unfamiliar to the area, I parked my car at a parking meter on Howard Street. Looking immediately to the right of my car, I found a sign that read, “No Parking Passenger Zone 8AM to 1AM; 2 PM to 4PM” (please see Exh. 1). Naturally, I assumed that since it was nearly 11 p.m. I was allowed to park at that meter. In addition, I was not the only car parked on this street (the cars next to me received citations as well), so being an out-of-towner, I did not think anything of it.
I was surprised to return to my car and find a citation for being in violation of TC37C. My friends and I had not seen any signs regarding street cleaning, both when pulling up to the parking space and when leaving the car. From Exh. 2, you can see that the sign that we later found to be a couple yards in front of my car is completely invisible from the perspective of where I am parked. The tree on the sidewalk completely obstructed the sign from our view.
There was also a sign behind my car, but if you look at Exh. 3, you will find that when pulling up to the space, from the angle of sitting in my vehicle, the tree branches cover the sign as well. In fact, Exh. 4 shows that upon exiting the car, the tree is completely covering the sign; 4 of us passed by it without even realizing it. The only way I was even able to read the sign was by using my digital camera to zoom in to the top of the tree where the leaves meet the branches, and turning on the flash to take a picture (please see Exh. 5).
I understand that street cleaning is important and necessary, and can only be carried out with cooperation of others. I also concede that there are 2 signs on the street where I parked. On the other hand, it is unmistakable that these two signs were obstructed by the presence of tree leaves and branches, and for the average driver and even pedestrian, it is difficult to locate and read them. For that reason, I humbly request that my citation be reconsidered. Thank you for your commitment to fairness; I appreciate your time and concern.
Sincerely,
Me
Enclosures