Take a close look at this photo. This car is parked on Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield Center, about a block west of Broad Street. There is a parking ticket on the windshield. Anybody know why?
The Parking Authority in Bloomfield has lately been issuing a little-known ticket called, “Manner of Parking.” When parking at a metered spot, the vehicle’s front bumper must be at or behind the meter post — unlike this one which is aligned with the passenger door. If not positioned properly, you’ll likely find a ticket stuck under your wiper blade when you return.
However, the positioning might be a little tricky. There are no painted lines on Bloomfield Avenue indicating the exact configuration of the parking space, which can make it harder to avoid a violation. In addition, even if there is adequate room between two parked vehicles, if the available space doesn’t allow the car to specifically fit behind the meter, it’s ticket-worthy in the eyes of the Parking Authority.
When asked about this scenario, a Parking Authority representative said, “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
A Bloomfield police officer (who asked not to be named), said that many confused people have approached him in recent days concerning this violation. He admitted the ticket was a bit exacting.
At $30 a pop, perhaps the township is using the “Manner of Parking” violation as a source of revenue in these budget-strapped times?
Because of financial constraints, municipal administrator Frederick Carr told Baristanet that, “there is no plan to paint lines along Bloomfield Avenue to delineate where the parking spaces are.”
“At $30 a pop, perhaps the township is using the “Manner of Parking” violation as a source of revenue in these budget-strapped times?”
Gee, ya think?
“When parking at a metered spot, the vehicle’s front bumper must be at or behind the meter post…”
But this car’s front bumper IS behind the post of the meter (farther ahead)!
This reads like something out of The Onion.
What baffles me most about this is that there are bags on all the meters indicating the meter did not even have to be paid per the holidays. So why would it matter how one is parked in relation to the meter?
Clearly it’s because that person is hogging up two spaces! hhich means, one less cash-toting shopper in the business district! 🙂
“Which”
(obviously, out of practice!)
Another community fund raiser.
I would give it a ticket for that horrid paint scheme on the hood. That is much worse than how it’s parked (or not parked!).
Sandy: I think that’s a reflection (at least I hope so).
Maybe?
Regardless, I do believe that it IS a fake photo.
Now, go back and look carefully. The car parked, is actually
a duplicate of the one in the steet, that is back a bit from the
parked car. But look …. even though it’s not in a direct line, nor
side-by-side, it IS the same exact car, WITH THE SAME exact reflection !!!
It is totally IMPOSSIBLE to be in a different location, and have the 100% identical reflection !!
FOUL BALL CAUGHT ! OUT !!!
@Sandy….Blow up the image. It’s two different Hondas with the Leo Building reflecting on the windshields & hoods. As Popeye would say…”It’s a co-inky dink!”
That is totally bogus. What if the person had to park that way based on the way others had parked? Supposing the original askew parkers departed, scott free of a ticket when all of a sudden the meter maid came around? It’s unjust, especially with snowfall and bags on the meters. Shame on Bloomfield. Now in Montclair it’s no better. The bank parking lot on the corner of South Fullerton and Bloomfield Avenue is a place where many people park at night when the bank is closed to go out and spend money in restaurants, the movies, and shopping. It comes in handy when there’s no place to park. But now there is an attendant in that lot collecting a parking fee. And it’s not a bank attendant. It’s a town attendant.
And if there were a normal parking space available, there would be no meter fee at those hours. So what the heck is that new racket all about at the bank parking lot? I could see if it’s private property and the business wants to make a few extra dollars charging for parking on off hours? But where does the town get off with this sudden new parking fee? The municipal lots are meter free at that hour! Can anyone explain it?
“@Sandy….Blow up the image. It’s two different Hondas with the Leo Building ”
Yes, U R correct. Did not know that I could enlarge the photo.
I guess the parking control group are trying to get rid of the few patrons Blmfd. still has shopping there. I am down to just Wise Optical, Center Drug, the Provedent Bank and Roxy Florist. The wife adds Annie sez to it.
Otherwise it’s either S.O. or Maplewood centers, or the Livigston or S.H. malls or Millburn or Verona, sometimes Montclair. Maplewood Center has free parking 365 dys @ year. There are NO meters and really neat shopes, with alot of variety
Total BS but there is a solution. Simply tell the local businesses you frequent why you will be taking your business elsewhere. Enough complaints from merchants and their Chamber of Commerce and this will stop (if they are smart).
Parking Authority’s are just another level of bureaucracy and filled with loyal political cronies.
From what I have seen, herb, the Parking Authorities are the Supreme and Most Feared Organizations in Baristaville. You can get away with treason, sedition, graft, bribery, jaywalking, weenie waving and other crimes of high dudgeon, but if you don’t feed the meter you will be fined unmercifully and put out in public in the stocks. It takes a mighty small mentality to think mighty small, but our local governments have demonstrated that ability to wretched excess.
The Township of Bloomfield is committing theft by deception! Plain and simple. What a rip-off! I have never seen that rule in a driving manual. Has anyone seen that rule? And who goes around publishing township ordinances. They cannot argue the excuse, ignorance of the law is no excuse!Correct parking….at least give a warning memo first!
“You can get away with treason, sedition, graft, bribery, jaywalking, weenie waving and other crimes of high dudgeon…”
Even if they occur on the same day.
INSTEAD OF RIPPING OFF THE DRIVERS! GET RID OF THAT MESS THEY CALL C-TOWN SUPERMARKET AND THAT GO-GO BAR ON BLOOMFIELD AVENUE. AND JUST MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE A LITTLE REAL URBAN RENEWAL. AND STOP THE GENTRIFICATION AND RED-LINING OF SOME OF THE POORER NEIGHBORHOODS. OH! YEAH! ITS STARTING, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RENTS AND TAXES IN MONTCLAIR, I’VE SEEN AND TALKED TO QUITE A FEW FORMER RESIDENTS OF MONTCLAIR THAT ARE NOW RESIDENTS OF BLOOMFIELD. HEY! DID YOU KNOW THAT THE HEAD OF THE ESSEX COUNTY KLU-KLUX-KLAN LIVED IN BLOOMFIELD, HE DIED HERE IN 1975. JUST THOUGHT THAT I WOULD BRING THAT UP. NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE HISTORY HUH! HAVE FUN PARKING!
Jeez! “weenie waving”? Now I have to clear that from my mind!
Laws on the books aside,
people who park straddling two spots like that are just plain pigs.
Bruce, drop the gun and put your hands in the air.
@humphrey, good one !
I like to occasionally practice random acts of kindness while doing my small part to protest the 20 minutes for 25 cents parking stupidity in UMTC. If the evil meter droid is in the vicinity, I’ll gladly drop a dime or quarter into a stranger’s meter that’s just run out. It brings good karma.
deadeye, you just brought back some monumental memories. In the 60’s, when I lived in Greenwich Village, there was a local artist, poet, and raconteur who was somewhat of a wild man, name of Nicodemus Hufford. Nick hung out at various saloons in the Village and Murray Hill, where his studio was and I got to know him a bit. One of his alter egos was a Super Hero named “Captain Cornsilk.” Dressed in his electric blue cape and Junior Birdman googles, Captain Cornsilk would bicycle around NYC (from bar to bar, of course), with a roll of quarters, and every time he would espy a meter maid about to write an expired meter ticket, he would pop a quarter in the meter. It brought Nick lots of good Karma. He died at close to 80 years of age, scuba diving on his honeymoon (wife number 5) somewhere in the Caribbean. The wake was held at bar on 34th Street and was attended by hundreds of people.
Conan, Great story! We need more characters like that.
@conan
and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make?
“…and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
With any luck at all, Spiro… Researching Nick’s birth/death dates, I came across a reference to a book written about one of the Murray Hill saloons we frequented in the ’70s, The Guardsman on Lexington Avenue. Just ordered it on Amazon, and I can’t wait to see what’s in there about the very … uh … interesting group of people who hung out there.
So if someone parks badly, and you have to park badly because of them, it’s lose-lose for you. I’m glad I left Bloomfield. I can walk most of the places I need to go to now.