When you live in a city where there are parking meters all over the place, one thing that drives you crazy is to finally find a spot, only to notice the meter is broken. Everyone else has passed that spot up, now what do you do?

I suppose you could tape a quarter over the slot, but how likely is that to work?

You could tape a note on the meter that reads,

"I am parking here and want to pay, of course, but this machine will not allow me. Please let me to stay here and not give me a ticket, because I tried."

I'm sure that won't work.

Well, here in LA, we ought not worry about this in the first place. Our laws allow you to park where there is a broken meter and not receive a ticket. You do have to follow the time allotment that is on the sign though, and so your tire can still be chalked, and your car checked later. Sounds reasonable, right?

Well, the parking enforcement folks either don't know their own law or got away with collecting a lot of parking ticket fees, anyway. Finally, Tom LaBonge, City Councilman, looked into it, and sure enough, the tickets are incorrect.

Tell that to the 98% of people who did not contest the unjust ticketing of their cars in this situation last year.

So, even though this doesn't mean much to you if you don't live in LA county and you are reading this, check out your own local laws, and if you are in LA, here is the information you need if you are wrongly ticketed.

Department of Transportation Meter Hot Line
(877) 215-3958

Parking Violations Bureau
(866) 561-9742
(213) 623-7046 (TTY)

Just call me Mr. Community Service…

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