Why Do We Hate Meter Maids?

I got a parking ticket for "wheels straight". That's right; it cost me $35 for not "crimping my wheels to the curb". The meter maid watched me park, waited for me to walk away, then stopped, inspected my car, and wrote a ticket for not crimping my wheels to the curb. She claimed that the street, 14th Street between Dolores and Guerrero (so you can look and decide for yourself), is more than a 3% grade. There were no signs warning you to crimp your wheels and I didn't bring my GMT (grade measurement tool) with me.

When I approached the maid (and yes, she was a she), she was hostile, did not bother to be polite and acted like I was a fool for not knowing these things. On her citation: she is identified as E.Y. Hey, lady, if you're going to be a witch, at least have the courtesy to identify yourself. Otherwise, your customers (ie the people who make it possible for you to have your job) might end up thinking that you are a witch.

Reference: Citation #729486030, dated June 1, 2007 and time stamped 11:32am. I paid it because I don't want to have to fight city hall.

Comments

[Jim Dempsey]

Sorry to hear about the ticket, Stewart.

My first reaction was that there is an entrepreneurial opportunity here: "Folks, get your very own genuine 'Meter Maid Voodoo Doll' here. Only $19.95 plus shipping and handling!!"

More seriously, my second thought was that this witchy behavior is a problem to be escalated to the parking ticket management. But then it occurred to me that her approach--which is more geared toward revenue collection than safety--is likely the result of the management.

My third thought was, "Everyone has a boss; if parking policies and enforcement are making San Francisco an inhospitable environment, then this is a public concern for the top--the Mayor." So, I think you can "fight City Hall," you just need to find the point of leverage, which in this place is rather high up.

In any event, thanks for sharing this experience. If the meter maids can nail a SF’er like yourself, then a visitor to the city like me would have been a sitting duck!