Head in only?

[winniebrown]

CALIFORNIA.

I thought this ticket was a complete joke when I received it. Well, I still do. I received a ticket for reversing into a spot that supposedly doesn't allow it. This happened at my university in California. Some quick googling tells that this type of law occurs in angled parking and on busy streets. My school's parking lot is neither. The only signs I could find say no overnight parking, and no parking in the red. I have seen plenty of other cars reversed in parking spots, and never received a warning prior to this ticket.

Should I argue this? And how? Are the campus police actual police officers? Would it go to court? If they got information wrong on the ticket (car color and student ID), is it still valid?

 

[mcinca]

You mean... you backed in the spot and the car's head faced out? Which university was that? Sorry I cannot answer but I did that a lot and never got a ticket... So I guess I have to be careful next time...

 

[CdwJava]

CALIFORNIA.

I thought this ticket was a complete joke when I received it. Well, I still do. I received a ticket for reversing into a spot that supposedly doesn't allow it. This happened at my university in California. Some quick googling tells that this type of law occurs in angled parking and on busy streets. My school's parking lot is neither. The only signs I could find say no overnight parking, and no parking in the red. I have seen plenty of other cars reversed in parking spots, and never received a warning prior to this ticket.

Should I argue this? And how? Are the campus police actual police officers? Would it go to court? If they got information wrong on the ticket (car color and student ID), is it still valid?

If you go to a UC, yes, they are actually sworn peace officers. The parking enforcement folks are authorized by the university and the citations should be valid.

What code section were you cited for? At what UC? Was this an enclosed lot, or is it along the street?

 

[winniebrown]

You mean... you backed in the spot and the car's head faced out? Which university was that? Sorry I cannot answer but I did that a lot and never got a ticket... So I guess I have to be careful next time...

Yes, I simply backed into the spot. It's at UC Irvine. It's an enclosed parking lot.


What I'm really interested in is WHY this law exists. It does absolutely nothing.

 

[The Occultist]

Backing into a space can cause problems. Granted, if you have a lot of practice at it and know what you are doing, it isn't that difficult and can actually be even easier than driving forward into a stall. However, most people, well, suck at reversing into a spot. Such poor ability increases the potential for vehicle damage. And regardless of skill, you will still take longer in the parking process, which can create a backup for any other traffic that may exist in the lot (which tends to happen quite a bit in campus lots).

The fact is that parking by reversing in is difficult for most people to grasp, and I believe the biggest handicap with it is that the vehicle's ability to turn is based solely on the front wheels. For an example of what I'm trying to say, try to negotiate a shopping cart by pushing it from the back end and see how well you do.

Oh, and probably not an answer you'll want to hear in the least: it doesn't really matter why this policy exists, you still have to abide by it. You agreed to their parking policies when you became a student, and you probably agreed again when you got your parking permit. My guess is you can find all parking regulations somewhere on your school's website.

 

[CdwJava]

Yes, I simply backed into the spot. It's at UC Irvine. It's an enclosed parking lot.


What I'm really interested in is WHY this law exists. It does absolutely nothing.

Once again, what code section was cited? (It should be a bunch of numbers) I do not see a UC Irvine parking code that covers what you say they claimed, so I am wondering of the section may also cover something else.

And are the parking spaces angled or straight?

 

[winniebrown]

Once again, what code section was cited? (It should be a bunch of numbers) I do not see a UC Irvine parking code that covers what you say they claimed, so I am wondering of the section may also cover something else.

And are the parking spaces angled or straight?

Code 01

The spaces are straight.

 

[CdwJava]

Code 01

The spaces are straight.

According to the UC Irvine site, this has nothing to do with backing in:

"Parking is prohibited in any area not specifically marked as a parking space."​

http://www.parking.uci.edu/citations/violations.cfm

It appears you may have parked in a place not properly marked.

You can go to the following link to start the appeal process:

http://www.parking.uci.edu/citations/appeal/citeAppealSearch.cfm

 

[winniebrown]

In the "notes/comments" section of the ticket, the officer wrote HEAD IN PARKING ONLY.

And I was parked in a parking spot. It's in the middle of the lot and I see a car there every day, lol.

Sure enough, it is stated in extremely small print on a small sign. I had to get out of my car and walk up to the sign in order to read it, and I have perfect vision.

Such bull****, these people.




I'm still curious as to why this law exists. I know they don't want exhaust fumes going into stores/confined places, and they don't want people going against traffic (slanted spaces) but it makes no sense in a straight parking lot. And parking head-in doesn't make it any easier for them to check your permits, because there is no walkway in between cars (http://www.driversedguru.com/wp-content/gallery/jamie-gallery/empty-parking-lot-high-view.jpg). It would only make sense if there was a walkway in the middle where the guy could quickly walk up and check permits without needing to go out of his way (http://www.dimensionsguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Parking-Space.jpg). Forcing everyone to park head-out is the only thing that would make sense.

 

[CdwJava]

In the "notes/comments" section of the ticket, the officer wrote HEAD IN PARKING ONLY.

And I was parked in a parking spot. It's in the middle of the lot and I see a car there every day, lol.

Sure enough, it is stated in extremely small print on a small sign. I had to get out of my car and walk up to the sign in order to read it, and I have perfect vision.

What was on the small sign? "Head in parking only?"

I'm still curious as to why this law exists.

Probably because they don't want all these people doing three-plus-point turns in the parking lot while people are rushing to classes. Such vehicle ballets tend to result in a lot of collisions as you might have a multitude of people reversing at the same time all jockeying for narrow spaces. People don't tend to back nearly as well as the drive forward so it is preferable to have people drive straight in to a parking space. Reversing is the riskiest movement a driver can undertake.

 

[winniebrown]

Yes, it said HEAD IN ONLY. It was microscopic. PERMIT REQUIRED and all the other rules were in huge writing.


Went to class today and 1/4th of the people were backed into their spots (including the one I was in!). Mister security must not like my car.

 

[CdwJava]

Yes, it said HEAD IN ONLY. It was microscopic. PERMIT REQUIRED and all the other rules were in huge writing.


Went to class today and 1/4th of the people were backed into their spots (including the one I was in!). Mister security must not like my car.

Unfortunately, bad luck does not a defense make.

You can still try to contest the citation and complain about the microprint. Who knows, maybe someone will agree with you?