Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 11:58:01 -0400
From: Stefan Waldherr <swa@mind.learning.cs.cmu.edu>
Message-Id: <199704241558.LAA16143@mind.learning.cs.cmu.edu>
To: bovik@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Car tickets [summary]


Hi Harry

here is a summary of answers to my post to cmu.cs.general:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
swa@mind.learning said:
> Hi,
> let's suppose a friend of a friend of a friend got a a parking ticket
> from CMU. What might happen -- just hypothetically of course --- if he
> somehow decides not to pay the parking ticket? I wonder, what "...
> further collection action" can be?
> Stefan. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1:

>Just off the top of my head, selling your friend's account to a
>collection agency, reporting your friend's unpaid ticket to the
>obvious credit reporting agencies, etc.
>
>It is also not uncommon to see booted cars in CMU lots.
>


2:

>Just ignore the ticket as an act of civil disobedience.  He would not
>have gotten the ticket if CMU had a sane parking policy - here's a
>hint, CMU: If you build new, tempting buildings like the UC, they will
>require *more*, not *less* parking.
>
>Catch me in the hall sometime and I'll explain to you how the Bill of
>Rights' guarantee of the freedom to assemble permits the spontaneous
>formation of parking lots.


3:

>If he came to CMU once and got a ticket, and if he doesn't plan to get any more
>tickets here, and he isn't affiliated with with university, then he has nothing
>to worry about. CMU can't do anything to him, and they wouldn't for a $10???
>ticket. It's not worth it to them. I've known of a guy who had this happen to him,
>he threw the ticket away, and (I guess it was about 2 years ago) nothing has
>happened since (to my knowledge).
>


4:

>I received a CMU ticket (for an expired meter) about 2.5 years ago (August
>1994), paid it straight away (for the 50% discount) and a few days ago
>received a delinquency notice for the ticket (ostensibly from CMU, but posted 
>in New York State), with the first line on the address being our PA license 
>plate number. It would seem they don't mind chasing things up many years 
>later - lucky I still had the cancelled check I paid it with.
>
>(Interestingly enough, they didn't tack on any late fees to the amount due - 
>it was just the original ticket amount ($30))
>


5:

>Hmmm, sounds like they have been active.  I received a similar
>delinquency notice for a 3.5 year old ticket just a few days ago!
>Interestingly, the notice managed to get to me despite that fact
>that I have moved twice since then.  (Conversely, my W2 and
>paychecks can not seem to make it to my existing address!)
>


6:

> Here's my experience with an "unpaid " CMU ticket:
> Last Sept. a visitor to our area received a parking ticket from the
> CMU parking office. 
>
>  [We had paid for and left a visitor parking pass at the parking
> office for him to use when he arrived.  But he arrived at 7:30am and
> couldn't get the pass since the parking office wasn't open yet.   The
> visitor didn't communicate this to anyone and just never got his
> pass.]  
>
> I appealed the parking ticket on the visitor's behalf.  The appeal was
> approved.  We thought everything was fine.  
>
> Then last week the visitor received a notice AT HIS RESIDENCE IN DC
> saying this ticket from Sept. was unpaid.  He had a rental car.  They
> didn't have any other information that I know of other than his name
> and the license plate number from the rental car.   But they tracked
> him down in DC.  Realize the other issues involved in this situation
> probably don't apply, but, at least in our visitor's case, the parking
> office went to, what I consider, pretty great lengths to try to get
> their money (and it was for a ticket that was appealled, and the
> appeal was approved!)   FYI:  It was a $40 ticket.  
>
> Hope this information helps in some way. 


7:

> I believe that if "your Friend" gets more tickets that are also
> ignored, then that colorful boot appears on a tire and will not be
> removed until all fines are paid.
>
> If only one ticket is ever received, it can possibly be ignored.  
>
> But these musings are from a person with no actual experience in such
> matters.  


8:

> i think if you stay under a few tickets a year they don't bother. but
> i know one or two people who pushed them far enough... but then again
> my roommate has about 1/2 dozen tickets from the last three years, and
> he has yet to pay one.... 


9:

> Actually, they've gotten a bit more serious this year... they got a
> fancy new computer system that tracks tickets, pulls them up from
> other cities, etc.  I typically blow off tickets from CMU if I have
> fewer than 3 in a year, but I recently received a mailing from a
> collection agency that listed two tickets from this year, and said
> that I'd be booted for three tickets or $100 in unpaid fines.
>
> Last year, it was no big deal, but this year those damn computers have
> once again complicated life... 


10:

> CMU parking tickets are unfortunately given the same status as any
> other City of Pittsburgh parking ticket, including all enforcement
> provisions. Get too many and you can be booted, both on and off
> campus.  Get fewer and  you can find yourself hounded to pay during
> one of the City's periodic appeals for deficit remedies. 


-- 
Stefan Waldherr                office +1 (412) 268-3837
                                  fax +1 (412) 268-5576
                               e-Mail swa@cs.cmu.edu
                                  www http://mind.learning.cs.cmu.edu