Paying for Parking

As an active-duty military member who arrived in L.A. recently, I was just given a shocking indoctrination into your city’s parking policy. My infraction was parking at a designated bus stop, indicated by a sign with an M in a circle. At the time I didn’t realize what that meant, but now understand it to symbolize a “Metro” bus stop. I received a $265 ticket.

I am willing to pay for my faux pas and learn from the experience. However, the threat of a parking fine is meant to be a deterrent, and for the average American, a $50 parking fine would be quite sufficient. For me, the $265 penalty is equal to a car payment, not a parking fine. What I received is extortion sanctioned by a revenue-greedy city.

Andrew Phillips

San Pedro