Why does the city of Milwaukee try so hard to make living here such an aggravation? Of all the quality of life issues that plague this city such as the sky high property taxes, the deplorable road conditions, teen pregnancy, public safety, etc., I have the most problem with the eager little Parking Nazis in their white militaristic urban assault vehicles. While the hard working taxpayers are sleeping through the night in preparation for another day of toiling away in order to pay the city for the privilege of living here, the Parking Nazi’s are cruising the streets with their searchlights, cameras and computers looking to pounce on some poor shlub who didn’t realize the date and parked on the wrong side of the street.
What is the deal with this city’s obsession with parking? I have had more tickets during my 18 months in Milwaukee than in the previous 25 years combined. I’m not just saying that for effect. It’s the truth! I’ve driven all over this country and, in fact, the world and I’ve never been hassled over parking anywhere like I have experienced here. Not in China, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Morocco, Ireland and others.
Paying taxes in this city is not enough. In order park on the streets that we pay for, we must pay even more for a parking permit. To PARK IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE! Then we pay the salaries of the Parking Nazis who write the tickets that we must pay when we park on the wrong side of the street. GIVE US A BREAK!
This, I believe, is a significant detriment to the overall state of well being of the populace. I call it white noise stress. You may not always be consciously aware of it, but it is always there. The horrible road conditions are also a contributor of white noise stress.
Are these issues enough to make a person leave the city? I don’t think so. Not in and of themselves. However, issues like these raise the base level of stress in everyone and make it harder to deal with other, bigger issues. They put everyone a little closer to the breaking point.
How close are you to that point?
Filed under: Uncategorized
I just read this at work, and we all wholeheartedly concur with your rant, if I can call it that. It’s bad now, but the city seems to really step up its efforts during the winter months. As if it isn’t hard enough having to find the curb underneath all of the snow, one also has to worry about the possibility of missing a buried, snow-covered, often (in my opinion) erroneous parking ticket. I have no problem paying taxes for something actually beneficial for the city like improvements to the school system, or neighborhood revitalization initiatives, but I sometimes resent the city getting so much of its income from parking tickets.
I’m definitely not close to my breaking point now, but check back with me around March or so…
I was glad to hear your experience with Milwaukee parking. My girlfriend and I moved here last year for school and had no friends and only a few contacts in the city. We parked our two cars and moving van on the side of the street where most of the vehicles seemed to be congregated and went to bed. The next morning all three vehicles were ticketed and we were, of course, furious. We ended up contesting the parking tickets and spent a miserable morning at City Hall. The legal clerk behind the counter was incredibly rude and said not knowing the parking regulations in the City of Milwaukee was no excuse to contest a ticket. She then pulled out a battered binder with photos of the parking signs that, “are posted when you enter the city.” Of course, she mentioned, “you should have seen one on your way in with the moving van.” I protested and pointed out how difficult is was to see the sign when you’re going 60 mph on I94. That’s when she opened the binder, flipped to the page with the picture of the parking regulation sign (it was missing from the binder, of course) and she shrugged and said, “well anyway, you still are not exempt from these tickets.”
That was our welcome to Milwaukee.
There are two things I fear about parking my car on Milwaukee streets. One is the parking ticket. The other is the person driving down my narrow street too fast, too close, clipping the side mirror off my car.
I’ve paid countless parking tickets and have replaced two mirrors over the last couple of years. I’m sure enforcement could afford to turn some of its attention away from me to deal and focus on some of the more destructive elements that occupy our environment, but I’m not smart enough to make that happen.
My blood started to boil when I read your post on this topic. I agree with your “white noise stress” theory which is precisely the reason why I’m learning not dwell on it. My house doesn’t have off-street parking which means my car is a sitting duck for more tickets and bad drivers. If I thought too much about it, I’d go insane.
SO TRUE.
SPEAK THE TRUTH.
I just got my car out of hock for he second time today. This after I paid all my tickets via my income tax refund. Milwaukee Parking says I have 5 outstanding tickets none of them recent. The Dept of Revenue says that the city told them that my balance was zero. I know I will win this case but what about my time spent taken care of this crap. Its out of CONTROL SCOTT! What can we do to change things? This is a perfect opportunity for your station to get some props for changing things. I am offering my services as a designer and business owner. Its time to stop this Madness I can t afford to pay for this type of Dysfunctional Bureaucracy. Feel free to email me to get things started. ANYONE OUT THERE?
You couldn’t believe how happy of a birthday I had while I was waiting in line to get my car out of the tow lot.
I’m new to the city and was completely unaware of how night parking works. There was NO notices anywhere. I thought it was because I was parking on busy streets at night, so I tried different streets.
And I refuse to pay the fines.
That did me no good I suppose because my car got towed..and I got a notice today saying my license plates were suspended…..
I’m calling monday to make an appointment with the citation review manager.
I still refuse to pay a penny. I’ve already paid over 100 in towing fees.
I’m going to offer to stay the night in jail, and have me be an expense to them.
All over a 12 dollar sticker that I didn’t read their minds and get….
The mayor’s phone number is 286-2200 and he loves getting phone calls about parking tickets. We, the people of Milwaukee, have started a daily correspondance with the mayor’s office with the demand that a town hall meeting takes place on the issue of “parking tickets”. The City of Milwaukee makes twice the revenue the City of Chicago does in parking tickets annualy yet we lack the basic upgrade in infrastructure this city desperately needs to become the great small town metropolis it can be. Fight the man or replace the man that denies your fight! And tell Tommy boy Amanda sent ya.
I thought it might just be me. As we speak i am on my way to contest a parking ticket that i received as a gift on the morning of my 21st birthday. I lived in Milwaukee a brief 5 months, and between myself and my wife we received 7 parking tickets, and had our car towed once. This really does seem like a Nazi regime. The reason my car was towed was for having a for-sale sign in the window…i know ridiculous right? 6 out of the 7 tickets i received were incorrect. Not having a permit when i clearly did, parking to close to a driveway when i was over 4 feet away…etc. All i can say is that if you are moving to Milwaukee i hope you either have some extra cash in your savings, or a lot of time to spend contesting ridiculous tickets.
More than anything I think it is sad to see such a beautiful city become such a difficult place to live all because of parking cops. Hopefully the city officials realize what a bad shadow it is casting on the city and do something to change this problem.
Good luck to all of you still living in Milwaukee.
After 15 years I am moving out of Milwaukee. I have lived and worked in this city, and have contributed to its economy in a multitude of ways. I am an unfortunate loss, but I am just the beginning. Milwaukee has stolen from me in the last 6 years by taking money out of my tax returns for “unpaid” parking tickets. I had paid the parking tickets, in fact I had receipts that proved that I had paid them. However, when I tried to have my money refunded for this mistake, I was told that because the overdue tickets were paid through my tax return that a record of these tickets no longer existed. That 6 years ago and cost me $1,000 . I have tried to fight this and have only reached a series of dead ends. This is a city of thieves and you cant fight city hall.