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a11y__cat t1_j65mxcv wrote

Reply to comment by waffles2go2 in Predatory Parking Enforcement by blkread

I mean I returned to my car before my meter ran out and a meter maid was staring at the meter waiting for it to run out. It’s one thing if the time is up, but just staring at one car waiting for time to count down is unreasonable. (Said as someone who bikes, uses the T, and drives. Depends on where I’m going and what the weather says. 🥲)

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cranberrydarkmatter t1_j68jc0j wrote

Let's say you're a parking enforcement officer and you notice the meter is a minute from expiring when you walk by it. It seems reasonable enough to me for someone to wait the minute to do their job.

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a11y__cat t1_j68jup4 wrote

A minute sure but he’d been there a while (I watched him standing there while I left the building and was walking up the block) and there was still 5 minutes on the meter. Was he just going to stand still for 5+ minutes instead of checking the other cars in that line? I totally get if it’s about to flip and you notice it, but it’s giving speed trap for going 1 under/over the speed limit vibes.

Again, I was heading to my car and he was actually in my way to get to the entrance so it just felt unnecessary. If I drive (in this case it was for a doctors appointment so seemed unfair to everyone that I take the T) I pay attention to signage and meters. Sometimes the meter maids are just being extra.

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a11y__cat t1_j68jzga wrote

I am not complaining if I’d been over time or anything, it’s just a bit unnecessary to wait that long for a specific car. Especially when there are so many cars around and likely someone is actually overtime or parked in a no parking zone, etc.

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AMWJ t1_j6i6y1n wrote

I don't drive, but that doesn't seem unreasonable to me at all. I would venture to predict that upwards of 95% of cars that are unmoved 1 minute before their meter is up will still be there after the meter's time has run up. And, if that happens, it is their job to ticket the car.

So, if there was a 95% likelihood that your job needed you in one minute, wouldn't you wait there?

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a11y__cat t1_j6jmn2f wrote

If your job is to ticket people who are already breaking a parking law, then you waiting to catch someone one second after the meter flips is NOT your job. They’re failing to ticket cars that are not moving for hours in favor of randomly targeting specific cars. But if you do your job by just waiting until you can do a specific task rather than looking for something that can be handled at that moment, then I don’t know what to say. But if I stared at something that would eventually become work rather than looking for something that is currently work, I’d be fired. 🤷‍♀️

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