Man Gets Ticketed While Paying For Parking
Poor Scott Larsen.
All he wanted to do was pay for his parking downtown on the first day of $5 per hour meter rates.
While he’s paying for his parking at the paybox, an NBC 5 camera crew walked up to interview him and ask him for his thoughts on the new, higher meter rates.
Unfortunately, a Traffic Management Aide (TMA), despite being waved down and alerted by Larsen that he’s trying to pay for his parking, writes him a ticket.
And it’s all caught on video by NBC 5.
I guess there’s a new law on the books against talking to the media while paying for parking.
Enjoy!
Thanks to Alex and others for the tip.
Finally they are exposed. This is nothing new from T.M.As. They are reckless, ignorant, and rude. Not surprised at all.
I have a funny feeling that a TMA may well lose their job over this. Its one thing to be a jerk, its another thing to be a jerk on camera. I can’t think of worse “PR” for the meter deal. Should he have paid the meter and then conducted the interview, I guess so, but from the distance shown, I don’t know if the meter “maid” could actually tell whether, in fact, he was also paying at the same time as he was talking. I would bring a copy of the video with me when I contested the ticket.
I agree with Optimus.
TMA’s have no reason to be wandering around writing parking Tickets at all.
They are there to Fuck up traffic or lean against buildings with their shopping bags. Or to step in front of vehicles and try to get hit so they can Sue the Driver for a “Windfall Cash settlement.”
Now…to be fair; the only Traffic Aides that write parking tickets are the Full Time Aides that work in the Loop. At least from my experience when I worked downtown 4 years ago. As I understand it from the TMA’s that came over to revenue, the part time TMA’s don’t have ticket books at all.
And This is why PEA’s don’t catch hell for writing Meter Tickets…We Check the damn box to see if someone is paying FIRST.
I meant Full Time T.M.As who Patrol Downtown. And no I doubt this he-she will lose their job. I’m sure her bosses are fuming but like DOR said Tmas don’t get any heat off their ticketing tactics. I’m waiting for “Jose” to come defend this TMA.
I agree with all of you here. David’s right, the bad PR generated from this is going to catch hell for someone or someones.
The TMA should have avoided the camera at all costs. Just walk away. Even writing legit tickets while cameras rolled looks bad. But in this case…DUH!
I am no fan of TMAs. I have to fight multiple tickets for expired meters–with time left on BOTH receipts–each written by TMAs. Morons!
[...] Aldermanic Candidate Forums In January & February* Man Gets Ticketed While Paying For Parking* Carol Moseley Braun Releases Tax Returns* Presented By:* "What we don't want to do in this country [...]
Because of the distance to a pay box, a ticket like this is inevitable. You have to know this would eventually occur on camera. Now, you’ll get more people avoiding meters at all costs.
OMG! That woman’s a troll! She should be living on lower Wacker and living out of a shopping cart! I feel bad for the guy and hope that the troll actually takes the ticket back to have it dismissed, and not just toss it in the trash so that he gets a surprise in the mail a few weeks down the road.
On a side note, if the guy spends $20 a day at the meters on business he should be saving his receipts to use as a tax deduction.
This has happened to me as well. Luckily, I was able to use my “5 minute grace period” and get out of it.
I’ve seen that troll TMA before. Man I hate them even more now. At least when they screw up traffic it only costs you a few minutes. She cost that guy $50 or at least a few hours of aggravation. Bitch
Saving Meter Receipts is important even if you don’t have enough to justify use for a business tax deduction. What if the TMA issues you a ticket that your meter slip would allow you to fight but doesn’t place it on your car. When you get notification of it, you might have already thrown away the meter slip. I save all of my meter slips in my glove box and still have all of them from the start of this program.
Geek,
Can you follow up with this story and help him fight it in court?
Optimus….I’m not a TMA supervisor.
And I know that TMA.
She’s a Stupid cu*T…pardon the expression.
Wow. He tells her – before she gets to his car – that he is paying at the box, and she writes him the ticket anyway.
Then she tells him she will call it in and see what can be done, then when he walks away, she puts the ticket on the windshield.
In front of TV cameras.
Bad for city PR and really bad for herself.
How incredibly stupid can you be?
Lmao@jose…I apoligize & agree
Geek – please try to keep tabs on this. I would love to know the outcome.
Greg, etal
I’ve made some inquiries about this guys ticket. Waiting to hear back. Will keep you posted on the outcome.
How’s that inquiry about the Valet Parking going?
Civil resistance, where have you gone?
The troll should be exiled not to Lower Wacker (where she could keep her job) but she should be banished to Miami’s Sylvia Tuttle Causeway where Miami-Dade County’s sex offenders have to live. Let her troll for parkers in Miami-Dade who are paying the pay box.
TMA should be changed to TMI “Terribly managed Idiots”! All they are is Political hacks whove gotten patronage jobs from their fellow constituents! We see them daily, trying to ‘GUIDE’ traffick when ther is no need! Hey STOOPID, I know when I can cross/turn, thank u very much! I dont need the city to pay u $15 an hour to tell me, thats why i take a test @ Jesse Whites office!
she lied, she first said she did not know what he was doing and later on as she gets defense she states he is standing down there giving an interview, so this was in retaliation. She should lose her job, not the brightest coin in the pocket, but maybe this is why she has this job!!
Wow…what a perfect example of someone who has a teeny little bit of power and loves to lord it over others. That guy was completely polite and informed her he was paying. She clearly wrote that ticket because she was pissed that he was giving an interview and wanted to punish him.
These TMA’s are really people that are normally unemployable. They have little to no education and cannot find a legit job, assuming they ever looked. However, given the opportunity to screw over the working people they jump at that chance and figured they could get paid while doing it. Every person doing this job is a vote for Daley and the machine.
[...] Scott Larsen became a bit of a minor internet celebrity last week just trying to pay for his street parking just over a week [...]