There's been lots of outrage over the past few weeks over the LAPD's ridiculous (and expensive) campaign against jaywalking, and their "crackdown" on "rogue non-cars" has gotten plenty of national media attention too. But no one knew that the LA's cars and their drivers were suffering quietly this whole time, victims of "the abuses of the current parking enforcement regime"—until now. The Los Angeles Parking Freedom Initiative, cofounded by the guy who helped kill those red-light cameras, is finally going to draw some much needed attention to the trials of the city's drivers, says LA Weekly. Did you know that parking fines have jumped to $61 in the last six years? Outrageous! "Over-the-top"! (Not to beat a dead horse here, but a jaywalking ticket costs up to $250.) The Freedom Parkers are aiming to launch a new voter initiative that puts "the streets back under the control of the people" who have cars. (Some might say that is where the power currently is...)
Granted, no one's debating that parking signage is often so unintelligible that you need an app to tell you what it all means. And the organization does actually provide solutions to what it sees as the city's money-sucking; for example, why not base a parking ticket's amount on how long the meter's been expired? Maybe drivers and pedestrians are victims of a similar problem: a lack of understanding on the part of the public about what the rules even are, let alone how to follow them. But it seems silly to harp on the plight of the driver on the tails of a citywide game of Knock Out that's hitting pedestrians with expensive tickets in order to save drivers "the frustration of ... trying to make turns and faced with crosswalks filled with people." And no, we should NOT put money from parking tickets into creating more public parking. Come on.
· L.A.'s Over-the-Top Parking Tickets Spark Revolt [LA Weekly]
·The LAPD's $250 Jaywalking Tickets Are Total Bullshit [Curbed LA]
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