Another parking ticket story

This probably isn't all that interesting, but it's one of those things about "the way the world works" that I didn't know about...

Parking where I live is ridiculously tight and depending on where you parked, you have to move the car at least once a week. I own the type of car that I can leave on the street and not have to care about what gets done to it (and you name it, it's been done). I sometimes don't use it much, but when I need it, it's great to have. I've also accepted that the price of owning it means ridiculous insurance premiums, parking tickets (which I really try to avoid) and the occasional trip to the tow yard, which my wallet really hates.

They also have arcane alternate side parking rules here that even a team of lawyers and IRS agents might have trouble figuring out. The streets sometimes aren't marked well, so you don't know if the reason you had to move it was for "street cleaning" or because they just randomly designated that street as a place they want you to move your car every Tuesday or Wednesday. This happened to me on Ash Wednesday. Alternate side (for street cleaning and also because of some snow) was suspended. I didn't move the car. I got a ticket on a side street that makes you move the car to the other side of the street on Wednesdays. But since it isn't designated as being for "street cleaning" purposes, I didn't realize that the alternate side rules didn't apply to that street.

I didn't move the car. I got a ticket. At least I wasn't towed. That always sucks.

Before I got the whole "street cleaning" "non street cleaning" thing straight and went back and looked at the mess of confusing signs on the street I had gotten the ticket on, I decided to contest the ticket. I filled out the form, wrote my little letter, and mailed it back. A few minutes after I had mailed the thing, I realized I was wrong. The alternate side rules didn't apply to that street. I had just screwed up.

Anyhow, I got a letter back yesterday. They reduced the fine by 1/3 and gave me the choice of paying it or having it go before a judge. So basically, by contesting a ticket (even on wrong grounds) they automatically send you something back offering you a break on the fine. I actually don't feel half as bad writing the check. Is this something I should have known about?