Chicago-Parking/Standing Prohibited Anytime

[chicagodriver]

What is the name of your state? IL

In the downtown area, I was parked in a 15min standing zone and sign said leave flashers on but not requiring vehicle to be attended while standing. The front half of my car was in this zone while also infront of another car that was atttended and clearly in the no parking zone. I ran my errand and was back in less than 10 min and I was the only one who received a ticket while all the same cars in front AND behind me where still there. The ticketing officer was nowhere in site to question. I feel that this is Selective Enforcement and would boil down to my word against officers since I had no camera at the time to establish a defense. Is this really a grey area? Poor judgement on the officer's side is a weak challenge and could tick the judge off.

What other arguement for defense is there. Yeah, it's CHICAGO, but is there anyway to discover if this is a typically ticket abused parking area of town which is also challenged. Finally, what is the Satute of Limitations on collection?

 

[wirry1422]

I have had similar tickets in Chicago in the past. The most recent one was while i was parked on Van Buren and Wells in a 15 minute standing zone. I was gone less than five minutes and left my flashers on as the sign indicated. The ticket was for violating a no standing/parking anytime zone. I mailed the ticket back with the request for in-person hearing box checked. At the hearing six months later, i had pictures of the signs and the address with multiple angles showing the signs in the same frame as the address on the ticket, and with close-ups of the signs. At the hearing six months later, i presented the evidence and won fairly easily. It is always better to fight the ticket in-person. The city will mail you a letter indicating the week that you can attend a hearing, which means during that M-F period you can appeal at any hearing facility (there are three or four) between 9-5. There is usually no wait either. Also remeber that the rule of thumb in chicago is that if any more than half of your car is behind the sign post, you are legally parked. If half or more of your car is in front of the sign post, than you are in violation. This is an unwritten rule, but one many administrative judges will follow in deciding these things. Also remember that their is a space for the meter maid or cop to leave handwritten comments that are then scanned into the computer giving the judge more detailed info, but the officer is not there. So you should mention the fact that part of your car was behind the sign, rather than trying to conceal that fact. Also, many meter maids and cops will not write a ticket for a car that is occupied (but some will) which is probably why the other surrounding cars had no tickets. Btw, the entire loop is an extremely heavily enforced area for parking tickets. I regularly park downtown, and I estimate (no exaggeration at all) that out of every car that parks and/or stands on-street within the loop on a weekday, over 1 in 3 or around 35 to 40% are ticketed for one violation or another including but not limited to No parking/standing anytime, Loading zones, standing zones, expired meter, no current city sticker, parking too far from the curb, expired plates, no front license plate, no parking during rush-hour, etc, etc. It really is park at your own risk in the loop, especially considering that the meters are now a quarter for a mere five minutes.