Parking poorly marked

In September, I received a parking ticket. I had parked at a meter directly across the front entrance to the Sacred Heart Medical Center. There were no visible lines. The infraction was based on city of Spokane code 16A.61.5908, “… a single-space parking meter shall be so parked so that the foremost part of the vehicle shall be alongside of and nearest to the parking meter.”

I parked, leaving enough space so the vehicle in front of me had room to get out. The nose of my vehicle was only a few inches past the pole the meter sits on.

I contested the ticket and the city attorney suggested the ticket be dropped. The code is unclear. The judge remained stubborn.

The city has another code, 16A.61.5906, “The street director is instructed to have parking space markers installed in locations where metered parking is in place.” They are breaking their own law by not painting the lines.

Many people are getting the same ticket at Sacred Heart. What a cheap shot at people who are ill, so the city can fill its budget with easy cash.

Shame on you, city of Spokane.

Cindy Scinto

Spokane Valley