The UMB Ticketing Cash Cow
How the University is Raking in the Dough for Handicap Parking Violations
Marishka Brown
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One would think that if a person was ticketed for parking in an area designated as a handicap zone, then he or she deserved it, right? And why shouldn’t they get a ticket? When you go to the mall or to the supermarket, the spaces are clearly marked with signs and bright blue paint, so there is no way to unintentionally park in one of those spots. However, the same is not true at the
I realized how untrue it was as I sat in traffic court recently with my boss, let’s call her Dr. Smith, and saw just how many people were there for UMB handicap parking violations.
But, wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. I think I need to start at the beginning.
Dr. Smith received a ticket for parking in a handicap zone on Labor Day 2008, in front of the
If there is a sign that designates parking areas for handicap persons, it is reasonable to assume that the sign would cover two or three spaces at the maximum. Not five. If someone wanted to clearly mark an area as handicap, fluorescent, blue paint would do the trick, not one lonely sign located half a block away.
But back to the story. Dr. Smith asked me to accompany her to traffic court. As we waited for the court session to begin, I noticed the bailiffs stare at the crowded room in disbelief, and finally announce: “Sorry folks. We normally have about 70 people come out for the 2 pm hearing, but for some reason we have about 150!” Before we have a chance to process this information, the judge enters and we all rise. Right about then, I glanced over to my right and saw one of my lab mates and her friend. I pointed them out to Dr. Smith and we shared a few giggles at the odds of the three us being there at the same time.
After the judge got situated, she announced: “We’ll start with the University of
People were called up one by one. Some were not present -- failure to appear in court. Some requested the ticketing officer -- officer not there: ticket dismissed. Some pleaded guilty without intentions (mostly little old ladies) -- dismissed.
Then came my favorite group: not guilty. As I sat listening to a plethora of people plead their case, I realized that every other person who stood up had received a violation for parking in a handicap spot. I don’t know if a light bulb went off in everyone else’s head, but it certainly did in mine. Surely, all of these people would not be intentionally parking in handicap zones! If all of them are receiving parking tickets for the same thing, primarily along the same street (
I know that it may not be cost effective to have a sign at every spot, but the court situation clearly proved that one small sign with an even smaller arrow underneath that is supposed to cover five or six parking spots, just does not work.
When it was finally Dr. Smith’s turn, she stood up at the defendant’s table nervously clutching her hands. I told her to just tell the truth. It was Labor Day and the garage that she pays $100 a month to park in is closed on holidays; she checked to make sure she could park legally and did not see any signs that indicated otherwise. As the saying goes, “the truth shall set you free”...or at the very least get you a reduced fine.
While in the lab the following Monday, a friend from a next door lab came by and asked me where I was on Friday afternoon. “In traffic court with a friend,” I replied. She grinned and said “I know. My husband saw you there. He got a ticket for parking in a handicap spot.”