“Dear PoPville,
The entrance at the economy parking lot at DCA closed off with the sign reading the lot’s full. [Tuesday 2pm] I’d guess there are around 40 or so spots left in the back lot. Drivers are being told spots are available in the daily garage (+$10).”
Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99
“Dear PoPville,
A little more than a month ago my parking and towing saga was profiled on PoPville. My car was wrongfully ticketed, then towed and stored by a private towing firm at the request of a contractor who apparently wasn’t satisfied with blocking off 60 feet of street parking – significantly more than the 20 foot roll-off dumpster he was authorized for.
I documented the abuse, complete with photos and measurements and got the $100 ticket dismissed in parking ticket court, which felt like the road to redemption was opening up before me.
Next, I filed a complaint with the DC Office of Risk Management, detailing the $220 in towing and storage fees I incurred after receiving a parking ticket that the city had subsequently dismissed, which was roundly rejected.
But thanks to advice from a PoPville poster, I found perhaps the one person in the DC gov’t capable of comprehending the disconnect between public action (faulty ticket issuance) and private fee acquisition, and the crevice that city residents fall into when the initiating event – the parking ticket – is found to have occurred in error.
And just yesterday the towing company hand delivered a refund check for $220.
No small claims court. No legal fees. No headaches. It pays to pursue grievances based on principle, no matter the sum in question.
Basically, this staffer oversees the city’s private towing contractors, and those contracts are more valuable to them than any one disputed ticket. Many thanks to popvart, who provided the essential guidance below.
popvart November 12, 2014 at 4:58 pm
I was faced with (and resolved) a nearly identical situation. First lesson: every relevant part of DC government is clueless and acts like this situation it is more rare than a talking unicorn. Second lesson: you must set aside all notions of fairness and law. Third lesson: litigation or threats of litigation should be a last resort. I contacted my city council member and Daniel Scott (who manages all things towing at DPW, including private tow companies). He has no authority to compel a towing company to return your money for towing fess from a dismissed ticket, but he did help convince the tower to give me back my money. Although adjudication services should reimburse you for towing fees related to a dismissed ticket (it is their fault after all) I’m pretty sure that would never happen (you can’t get blood from a stoned idiot). In your case, you might start with your city council member and Daniel Scott, and hopefully they will support your polite request to the contractor.”
Thanks to @davebergman for tweeting us:
“A beautiful parking job in capitol hill #notquiteparallelparking @popville”
“Dear PoPville,
See subject car in frame. When I arrived last night I had to squeeze in between 2 SUVs, now during the day they’re gone and it looks like I poorly parked (never mind that it’s midday and half the block is empty anyway). These people with entirely too much free time and concern over how other people park are really getting tiresome. Maybe a PSA to assume we all know what the hell we’re doing and unless you legitimately OBSERVED someone as they were parking you keep your hands off their car.”
“Dear PoPville,
I received in the mail today a new Visitor Parking Pass for 2013-14, which expired in September. I understand that they are actually valid through the end of the year, but why go through the expense and effort of sending out new passes this late in the year?
Maybe it’s a DDOT holiday gift? Maybe it’s the thought that counts?
Curious if any POPvillagers have received new passes as well…
Oh, and in anticipation of potential comments —
1) we already have a VPP for 2013-14 (so this isn’t in response to a request)
2) the envelope doesn’t look like it was lost in the mail for months (so it’s not an issue of it having been lost in USPS’s hands for most of the year)”
another reader writes:
“A few weeks ago I registered for a 2015 parking pass from DDOT. So I was surprised today to receive in the mail an expired 2014 parking pass, along with a letter that says my “new” pass is valid from Oct. 1, 2013-Sept. 31, 2014. Is this a glitch? Am I alone, or did this happen to people all over the city? I know this particular DC program has been a garbage fire for a while now, so I’m eager to learn whether we’re witnessing new depths of incompetence.
For the record, DC will continue to recognize the 2014 parking passes through Dec. 31 of this year. But it still makes no sense to send out the letter and pass shown in the attached photograph.”
Last night in trying to clear up some of the confusion @DDOTDC tweeted:
“Regarding VPP, If you registered b4 the 2015 pass opened Oct. 1, you were sent a 2014 pass. You will get a 2015 pass by December 31, 2014.”
Ed. Note: Reminds me a bit of the upside down flag fiasco.
UPDATE from Judi Gold – Deputy Director, Constituent Services – Councilmember Muriel Bowser:
“Some of you have been in contact with us regarding the expiration date on your new Visitor Parking Permits. I have been in touch with DDOT and they have provided the following information.
More than 22,000 residents have registered for a 2015 Visitor Parking Pass (VPP). An additional 3,900 residents registered and may have received a 2014 Pass in error. Furthermore, the website and the letter mailed with the 2014 VPPs were confusing. We take full responsibility for all of this. Please note that every resident who registered for a Visitor’s Parking Pass between August and December 15th will receive a 2015 VPP by December 31st. If you experience problems registering for Visitor Parking Pass online, please contact DDOT’s call center at (202) 671-2700.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Joseph Leonardo
From DDOT:
“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) recently announced the launch of parkDC: Chinatown/Penn Quarter, the multimodal value pricing pilot, which is expected to make parking easier and reduce congestion. The pilot will encompass all 1,300 metered on-street parking spaces in the area bounded by H Street, NW; E Street, NW; 11th Street, NW; and 3rd Street, NW. This pilot will use the Chinatown/Penn Quarter area as a laboratory to test state-of-the-art strategies to make it easier to find parking spaces and reduce congestion. The project will accomplish this by doing the following:
(a) Providing real-time parking-availability information so customers spend less time searching, and
(b) Changing parking pricing so more spaces are available,
(c) Making parking signage more easily understood. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
This was stuck on a car windshield on Porter Street this morning.
Having seen the comments on bad parking on PoP many times, I know someone will say, “Well maybe they parked in between two cars that were there at the time and that’s why they are taking up a spot and a half…”
This car was at the end of the parking lane, with five feet between their rear bumper and the parking zone sign.
So it really was a douchie parking job…”
“Dear PoPville,
Does anyone know if the city is required to provide advance warning to residents if it intends to turn an unzoned street into a newly zoned parking area requiring the appropriate permit? I’m asking because I came home from work one day in August to find that the unzoned street I was parked on in north Petworth (Gallatin Street) had suddenly become a Zone 4D, permit-only area. The city provided NO advance notice that this change would happen and — even better — immediately ticketed all of the cars that were parked there without the proper permit! I had three tickets for $90 waiting for me the same day the change went into effect.
I challenged my tickets. I lost. I also reached out to DDOT, which just got back to me (months later) and claims it is not responsible for putting up signs that warn people that the parking rules are about to change. Feels very much like a kangaroo court to me…
PS — If anyone feels that I am in the wrong for parking on an unzoned street, it’s because I LIVE on an unzoned street and do not qualify for an RPP. In other words, I had no choice.
PPS — Also, as it happens, DDOT got back to me after I e-mailed you and confirmed that they are under no obligation to post signs giving advance notice of zoning changes. The DDOT person actually told me that it would be a great thing to take up with my elected officials and she agreed my tickets were unfair. (Still had to pay them, though!)“
From Crispus Attucks Park:
“For anyone who regularly traverses the park: it is against park policy to park anywhere on park property–even by a foot. This is because we spend a significant amount of effort each year on planting and maintaining the grass and shrubbery. And of course, it’s not in our by-laws to maintain a parking lot.
Thus, please never hesitate to call 911 and request and officer to come ticket the vehicle. They will then put in an order to have it towed after the ticket is issued. When providing the address, state the car is illegally parked in the alley space behind the nearest address. This will help for the operator to avoid confusion.”
Crispus Attucks Park is located in the alley between 1st Street and North Captiol and V St and U St, NW.
