Stupid PPA Ticket of the Day

Victim: Kathy Morris of Norwood, PA, owner of a blue 2006 Hyundai Sonata.

Date: Sunday, Aug. 16^th, 2:06pm.

PPA parking enforcement officer: R. Rozanski

Alleged "violation": An expired parking meter

Fine: $36

Problem: Morris wasn't parked at a meter at all. As the photo here shows, she pulled into a big, yawning space that was entirely un-metered. It's located in front of 1632 Locust St., in Center City.

Aggravation: Morris waited an hour for Rozanski to make a return sweep of Locust St. She says she asked how she could be ticketed for having an expired meter when her spot had no meter. She says Rozanski told her it was "too late" for him to do anything about the ticket. She subsequently requested a hearing.

Misconception: On Nov. 2, 2011, armed with five separate photos of her car parked in a spot with no meter, Morris believed that her hearing before the Parking Bureau of Administrative Adjudication would be "a slam dunk."

Outcome: At the hearing, Morris says she was told that she should have paid the meter in front of the car that was parked in front of her.  She asked, "Why would I pay a meter that is already paid by the car it was in front of?" She was met with a blank stare. She says she was then told that she should not have parked in an "invalid parking spot."  She says she pointed out that there was no sign stating that the spot wasn't valid, so how could she have known? The hearing officer told her the ticket would stand and asked her to sign a form. She refused, and has scheduled an appeal of the decision.

Worry: Morris has no faith that she will win on appeal at the Parking Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, since it was a PBAA hearing examiner who brushed her off in the first place.

Lesson: Says Morris, "No wonder people do not like visiting Philadelphia.  It's the most unfriendly city I have been to."