Submission by D. Keefe:
I have lived on Ashland for 10 years, and in Allentown before that, and I have paid hundreds of dollars in parking tickets over the years - it kinda comes with the territory. But from my experience, there has always been an unspoken agreement with parking enforcement that they don't really ticket on holidays or OBSERVED holidays.
Today, January 2nd, my kids are off school, my wife is off work from HSBC, and I am off work as a Buffalo Schools employee. I kept an eye on parking at around 9 AM, and saw that both sides of the street were still packed with cars... So I left my cars where they were - it's not like there were even spots available, my part of the street has very few driveways (I have none), and on nights, weekends and holidays myself and other residents require all available on-street parking spaces. We have nowhere else to go.
Then, at some point, The City began mass-ticketing cars in the Elmwood Village for parking wrong against the alternate parking. I'm sure that you have lots of readers who are affected.
I emailed the parking bureau and the Mayor, which of course will result in no action.
I think the City should be ASHAMED of themselves, ticketing likely hundreds of residents for violating alternate parking on an observed Holiday. There are dozens of ticketed cars on my block alone. My household is responsible for $60 in tickets to pay.
Instead of penalizing tax-paying City residents on a holiday, it's unfortunate that parking enforcement can't ever focus more on the nightly suburban dilettantes that clog Lexington, Bryant, Rhode Island and other streets with nightspots, block homeowner driveways, and invade convenience store parking lots along Elmwood because they are incapable of going anywhere without their cars.
Somebody at City Hall needs extra money again. Ditch the cars, take a bus!
Go away, Lego.
Bite me, Captain