What Does A "Good Sign" Look Like?

5 cars parked behind this Jeep 
were also issued $15 tickets last night.
No signs anywhere in sight.

At least 6 vehicles were issued $15 WRONG SIDE PARKING tickets on the 200 block of Warren Street last night. The city is at least $90 richer for it (more if tickets aren't paid on time).

There is not one sign anywhere on either side of that block of Warren Street, indeed on all of Warren Street and much of the rest of the city, letting drivers know about the overnight parking rule in effect every night.  It is as if the city would rather issue tickets and take the money than do their best to inform and remind the public of the rule, of where to park, and where to park out of the way of the street sweeper.  Because if the city, as Robert Perry constantly reminds us at meetings, truly wants to get the streets swept and for parked cars to stay out of the sweeper's way, why are there no signs telling people to do so except for at the entrances to the city where no one has the time to read the signs because they have their eyes on the road in front of them?

This is a good sign, I suppose, but only if drivers
were to stop for 15 seconds to read it.
How about installing a few on Warren Street?

Do you think the owner of the ticketed car from Connecticut shown in the picture would have benefitted from a sign letting him or her know where to park last night?  Would the city and DPW have benefitted from informing that car owner, and the 5 others ticketed on the block, with a sign spelling out the overnight parking rule?  Or is the city happy with benefitting at $15 or more a ticket and saving money on installing signs intended to help people avoid being issued parking tickets and to stay out of the way of DPW's street sweeper?

You will find no overnight parking rule
  signs like this one, readable or not,
 on Warren, State, 4th, 5th, 6th, Front ...

... while Frederick Street has 4 of the
 signs posted, 3 of which
are readable.  Four!  Three!

When you look at the situation objectively, it's pretty obvious that the city is more interested in money than being helpful, keeping cars parked on the correct side of the street, and making sure our streets are swept properly. The money from tickets is just too easy, they need it, and "this is the way it's always been done." (Plus, it gives HPD something to do at night!)

City Hall is clearly addicted to parking ticket revenue.  Why install any helpful signs if they won't benefit the city's bank account? Not only would new signs cost the city directly, but the signs would also decrease the number of overnight parking tickets issued and the amount of ticket revenue collected.  This is not a win-win for the city.  Signs would be helpful to residents and visitors, but not City Hall.

During Heather Campbell's monthly Treasurer's Office report at informal common council meetings, it is not unusual to hear her say "Ticket revenue is up, so that's a good sign," or "ticket revenue is down, so that is a concern."  The implied takeaway is that issuing parking tickets is a good thing for the city, and the more that are issued the better.  Illegally parked cars are a good thing.  Illegally parked cars help the city's bottom line.  Those 6 ticketed cars on Warren last night (and all the others around town)?  A good thing, for sure!  What if no tickets were issued overnight last night because every parked car was on the correct side of the street and out of the way of the DPW street sweeper?  

SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!  THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN!!!  THIS MUST BE REVERSED!!!  WE CAN'T HAVE THIS ANY LONGER!!!