I recently bought a City of Fresno Parking Meter Pass so I did not have hunt for quarters when parking near the Fresno Bankruptcy Court. I actually like parking on the street near the courthouse, since I almost always able to get a good spot within a very short walking distance.

The parking meter pass makes on-street parking more convenient. The card is loaded with $100.00. No more hunting for quarters. The meters around the Fresno bankruptcy court allow for two hours of paid time, with four hours maximum parking in one spot.

 I made a choice not to park in the two public parking garages since they feel like underground crypts. Since my office is in northwest Fresno, I’m usually only in court for less than a couple of hours, so on-street parking costs about the same as a monthly parking structure pass. When I had my office in the Security Bank Building in downtown Fresno, I had assigned underground parking — cheaper, easier and more convenient when your car is parked all day in one spot.

I know a lot of Fresno Bankruptcy attorneys have assigned parking spots in the public garages near the bankruptcy court even though they have offices in north Fresno, but I prefer the on-street option.

However, since I got the pass, I’ve gotten lazy and been fined twice for over limit violations. With the parking meter pass you can load up the meter for two hours, but if you forget to reload the meter, the Friendly Fresno Parking Enforcement Officers will gladly leave you a $28.00 gift – a gift that you pay the City of Fresno.

With the harsh economic times, cities and municipalities are hunting for additional revenue – and a well plotted parking violation strategy can be very effective in raising revenues.

For the most part, Fresno is not a big time player in the parking enforcement game since there are only a few impacted areas where parking is at a premium. But go into any big city in America and you’ll find that parking violation revenue generation is elevated to a high science.

In this recent article, http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/09/its-the-very–definition-of-a-bad-day-no-quarters-in-your-pocket-the-line-at-the-post-office-is-longer-than–expected-or.html#posts, you will see what some cities are doing and the amount of money they generate.

Can’t begrudge enforcing the laws on the books either here in Fresno or elsewhere, but outside of downtown, we’re fortunate to not be plagued with the traffic and parking problems found in larger cities.

Same goes for driving violations. My morning commute takes me down west Shaw Avenue – and every morning, from Blackstone to Van Ness, I see no less than two motorcycle cops laying in wait for speeding violators. Along this route they hang out in the dark, hidden recesses of parking lots and driveways, waiting to pounce. (Yes, I’m being a little over dramatic). The speeding limit is 40 mph and with radar guns picking out the “speeders” they get “bagged and tagged” very efficiently. Interesting to watch these guys at work – especially when you’re driving below the limit.

So watch your speed limit and those parking meters.

Disclaimer

Fresno-Bankruptcy-Lawfirm.com is owned by the Law Offices of Jeffery D. Rowe. We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Federal Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code). If you would like to discuss your situation in further detail, please call our Fresno offices at: (559) 228-1500 or our Merced office at: (209) 722-3700 to schedule a consultation.