OK, all you parking pros out there =- how would you come down on this one. A man was driving his wife to the hospital and she gave birth in the car. He delivered her to the ambulance entrance and after seeing her safely inside, went out and parked his car. He didn’t put enough in the meter, and was given a parking ticket. He is fighting the ticket and using his new daughter as exhibit “A”. Read about it here.
First, its not as if the birth was taking place when the ticket was written. I can certainly see that if it was, the ticket might have been excessive. I can also understand if he had parked the car, ran inside and in his haste forgotten to pay, or she was in labor and he couldn’t leave her side. Once again, this is a different case. I’m a wuss and would have let him off, as a congratulatory gesture on the new birth. However what should an administrative judge do? What guidelines could be set down for tickets around a hospital. Is a “Doctor’s note” enough to get one out of a ticket? What if he was visiting his uncle who had just had his broken leg set? How about someone who is there for chemo, or dialysis. Suddenly it’s not so cut and dried.
JVH
One Response
I don’t know about that…why shouldn’t it be cut and dry?
Don’t take me wrong, I’m a sap for things like that too, but provided all the signage is in place, why shouldn’t the person be accountable for the ticket?
It’s the driver’s decision to leave a vehicle in the emergency area or park it in the general parking lot.
Most Emergency or ambulance entrances have plenty of signage that reads Emergency Parking only and a time limit. I think that’s good enough to drop off your, wife, mother, uncle, etc… and determine what to do next.
I believe that if the car isn’t moved or the meter isn’t paid, it is that individual making the conscience decision not to go back and feed it or park his car in the correct location. So why shouldn’t they pay?