Recently I received a parking ticket while parked at a meter in University Circle. In some ways this was nothing unusual for me. I often park at meters when I drive to University Circle for work or entertainment (usually several times a week). Like most people I know, I accept that once in a while I will get delayed or loose track of time and get a ticket. I have always paid my tickets without a complaint.
This $25 City of Cleveland parking ticket is another matter though.
The parking cop handed it to me as I was pulling away from a parking space, wheels cocked engine running.
I knew my meter was about to expire. I raced to my car. No ticket on the windshield. Thought I was safe. But the parking cop came over to my window and said she wrote it so she was giving it to me.
My first reaction was that's the last time I'm driving to Univesity Circle! I live within walking and biking distance, so I did n't mean that I'd never be back. But I feel that such aggressive ticketing could discourage other people from coming to University Circle. Do we want out of town visitors handed a surprise bill for $25 when they linger to long in the museums? I think that's just too mean. If the car is unattended and the meter has run out put a ticket on the window, but the personal touch, a grumpy face with an expensive ticket, can really ruin someone's day.