Parking Laws Should Be Eased

“Officers’ Job Is a Ticket to Daily Derision” (March 3) went a long way to dampen the utter hatred I have for the 500-some men and women who enforce the city’s parking laws. After reading it, I realize that the real culprits are not the officers, but L.A.’s overly strict parking laws. I’m scared to think how bad our parking and traffic problem will get as the number of cars magnifies beyond the city’s capacity. I can only pray that the city will ease our stringent parking laws or furnish a decent public transportation system so citizens don’t have to own cars in the first place. But I doubt the city will do either.

JEREMIAH MARQUEZ

Los Angeles

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I feel sorry for parking enforcement officers, but perhaps we should take seriously the frustration motorists feel toward parking tickets. Law enforcement is supposed to be about ensuring that those who are not inclined to respect the law do so anyway. But many parking tickets don’t go to people who don’t care about the law. They go to people who didn’t have enough loose change for the meter and had to try several stores before someone would give it to them. Or people who didn’t see the sign behind an overgrown tree. Or people who took longer on an errand than they expected. When these simple inconveniences end up costing $30, it’s natural to be upset.

Why should an officer ever issue a ticket to a person who is present and willing to move his or her car? It’s supposedly policy not to tear up a ticket that has been entered in the computer. Change the policy. Make life easier for everyone.

HANS NOEL

Los Angeles