Well, At Least The Pocketbook Is Lining HPD's Pockets!

On my walk this morning in the neighborhood (which is no longer strictly residential in nature), I came across three ticketed cars parked at the end of Prospect Street, along the mega-business known as the Pocketbook Hotel and Baths.  One car was from New Jersey, one from Pennsylvania, and the other had NY plates, so it's fairly safe to say that at least two of those cars were owned by guests of the hotel.

Even though neither the DPW street sweeper nor any DPW snowplows were active early this morning, each car had been issued a $15 WRONG SIDE PARKING ticket by HPD for violating the overnight alternate side parking rule. And while the owners of those cars had a chance to read a sign or two on Prospect warning them of where not to park, there wasn't a sign in front of where they all parked. No, the nearest parking rule sign was well behind them, a sign they drove past but apparently did not take the time to stop their car and read. Do you think that if there had been a sign near the end of Prospect that those cars would have been parked on the so-called wrong side of the street, where HPD and DPW supposedly didn't want them parking? Or is there not a sign near the end of Prospect because DPW doesn't really care who parks where and HPD would rather issue as many overnight tickets as possible and collect as much money as possible than make sure everyone is aware of the parking rules and parking where they are supposed to?

Is our new mayor really okay with this?
Isn't this his neighborhood?

I learned something recently at a common council meeting, though it didn't much help to clear up the confusion and incoherence surrounding overnight ticketing of cars.  Any street that has overnight parking rule signs -- such as Prospect or Washington and, I think, much of Union -- indicates that they have special "local parking rules."  Rob Perry didn't explain why these so-called local rules exist or what they mean; he just mentioned them.  But any reasonable person living in Hudson who has to park their car on the street has to wonder why are there no parking signs on, say, State Street where the overnight rule is in effect every night of the year while parking signs do exist on a street such as Prospect where two different rules exist throughout the year?  Why does a street like Prospect get (poorly spaced) signs and two rules, and State gets no signs and one rule?  And why is HPD ticketing cars for parking on the so-called wrong side of the street if they aren't parked in the way of any DPW activity?  And why would HPD Captain claim that overnight ticketing of cars is done for "safety" reasons, primarily to keep abandoned vehicles off of our streets?  Do any of those three cars that were parked overnight on Prospect look like they might be abandoned or creating some other "safety" issue that HPD should concern themselves with?  WHAT WERE THOSE CARS DOING THAT WAS SO WRONG THAT THEY DESERVED TO BE TICKETED?  WAS IT THEIR OWNER'S FAILURE TO READ THE SILLY PARKING SIGNS (ONE CARDBOARD AND ONE METAL) THAT WERE WELL BEHIND THEM?  IF THOSE CARS HAD BEEN PARKED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PROSPECT LAST NIGHT, HOW WOULD THAT HAVE MADE HUDSON (AND PROSPECT STREET) A BETTER, SAFER PLACE TO LIVE AND DRIVE IN?  WHAT HARM WERE THOSE CARS CAUSING FOR HUDSON?

On Tuesday, the day after I posted an article about a car parked backwards on 6th Street alongside the Pocketbook, I came across another car parked backwards alongside the Pocketbook.  This one really caught my attention because it had the distinction of also being parked backwards in a well-signed fucking NO PARKING ZONE.  The illegally and dangerously parked car was still parked there three hours after I took the picture.  Unticketed.  That NO PARKING ZONE, as is obvious, is there to keep the intersection as safe as possible for drivers exiting Prospect Street, where drivers on speedy and hilly 6th Street do not have to stop.

Thanks, Pocketbook, the neighborhood is better, more attractive, happier and safer because of you!  Keep up the good work!  And keep on keeping HPD busy and full of money! 

By the way, does anyone know where revenue from parking tickets winds up?  What does it get spent on?