22 September 2009  

Dear Menlo Park City Council Members:

I am writing to complain about the process of contesting parking tickets currently in place for the City of Menlo Park. Although I am not longer able (nor interested) to formally contest the ticket that provoked this letter, I hope that this story persuades someone there to have a second look at how our parking system works. Please pass along this letter to the appropriate person, if necessary.

On August 24, 2009, I parked on Politzer Drive, alongside many other cars, with my car partially on the street and partially on the ³sidewalk² (which is not formally segregated on that street). I was there to volunteer my time (all day) at Hillview Middle School¹s registration (Arena Check-In) day. I parked far enough off the street so that my car would not be a danger to passing motorists.

When I returned to my car that afternoon, and began to drive away, I noticed that there was a $42 ticket tucked under the windshield wipers (citation #01007274). Obviously, at that point, there was no way for me to prove that my car didn¹t fully block the sidewalk (as the ticket contended). But I am quite sure that it did not, and so I resolved to contest the ticket formally. However, it was not at all clear how to do that. There was no address on the ticket on which to send remittance, and it indicated that I would receive confirmation in the mail shortly.

I waited several weeks; nothing arrived. I finally went on the web and found a phone number to call. When I called the number, I could not reach a human being with whom to speak, try as I might. In fact, I spent more than one full hour on the phone, wending my way through phone trees again and again, only to be cut off (³I¹m sorry, the person at this extension is unavailable, and this machine does not take messages.²). Needless to say, I finally paid the ticket out of sheer exasperation.

Finally, almost a month after the original citation, a ³parking violation reminder notice² arrived in the mail. By this time, I was beyond the ³formal² window whereby I could contest the violation and in fact had already paid the ticket.
It is truly an unethical system that does not allow for drivers to contest their parking tickets or even to ask questions about them. I am a long-time resident of Menlo Park. I was interested in following the stated rules for contesting the ticket. I gave it my best, and this was not enough. It leaves me wondering what happens to others who don¹t have the time or wherewithal even to try as hard as I did.

Finally, it bears repeating that I was volunteering at a Menlo Park public school when I received what I consider to be an unjust ticket in the first place. Do the Menlo Park police truly think this is time well-spent: to issue highly questionable parking tickets to cars parked safely by moms volunteering at registration day for their children?

Thank you for hearing me out. If nothing else, I hope that this letter persuades you to rethink the process whereby the City of Menlo Park collects on parking tickets, so that it is easier for citizens to participate in the process rather than being railroaded by it.  

Respectfully yours,

Karen Peterson Iyer
246 San Clemente Drive, Menlo Park Received on Tue Sep 22 2009 - 15:19:44 PDT