Hey Man, Can't We All Just Get Along?
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Dear PPA:
I need you to explain something to me.
I've seen PPA officers hang out and wait for a meter to expire, ticket cars that stayed in a loading zone a minute too long, and ignore "meter broken" notes. So I'm curious as to why you completely ignore cars parked on the median, or in turn lanes and in clearly marked "no parking" zones on Sundays.
I know it's the day of rest, but come on. It's dangerous. I've seen cars very nearly rear-end parked "church" cars because they didn't realize the long row of vehicles in the turn lane wasn't going anywhere. I myself nearly got hit by a delivery truck when trying to cross an intersection (at a crosswalk, no less) because of the very tall vehicle parked not only in a "no parking" zone, but also partly on top of the crosswalk, making it more or less impossible to see oncoming traffic without first stepping into the middle of the road.
A note on the dashboard saying "church" shouldn't make a car any less susceptible to ticketing and/or towing than a note indicating that the driver is making a food delivery. In fact, because church services take significantly longer than a pizza delivery, church drivers should probably find themselves much more likely to get a ticket. This isn't anti-religion. You're not violating anyone's First Amendment rights. It's just saying that the grace of God can't save you from a parking ticket when you keep your car double-parked for two hours, so maybe next time, you might oughtta think about carpooling.
There's got to be more to things than that. There must be a reason you willfully ignore the roadside endangerment that takes place every Sunday (plus some religious holidays, and weekdays if there's a wedding or a funeral). Is there a law on the books I'm not aware of? Admittedly, I don't drive in the city all that often, so I might be missing something. But one thing I know is that if this special Sunday parking isn't illegal, it probably should be.
The poster for Dangerous Parking, one of Phillyist's favorites from the 2008 Philadelphia Film Festival, via the Internet Movie Poster Awards.
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I just got a frickin' ticket today. $26 for being 5 minutes late to the meter.
Hey, you're lucky. They're now $36 for a late meter. Talk about robbing you blind.
Oh no, that would be handicapped. We don't even want to go there.
I 100% agree. Can we start a petition? We need to find out if this really is a legal act. I'm gonna go all the way crazy and say that the PPA overlooks these tickets because of the outcry that would result, thusly supported by everyone's religious beliefs, which is goddamn crazy. Church patrons shouldn't receive any better treatment than people trying to do their job (delivery guys, for instance).
It's widely known that PPA turns a blind eye for Sunday parking, but only for vehicles that have a placard from the church on the dash.
It's impossible to find LEGAL parking within about 5 blocks in any direction of a church on Sunday, BUT: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em: if you go into the lobby of the church in question, in most you can pick up a parking permit (which isn't dated). It just says "attending services". Ha! Problem solved.