‘That was a hard no!’ enrage neighbors by fighting parking plans that will cause ‘tremendous losses’ before they act

RESIDENTS are furious over plans to turn a community park into additional parking for a nearby hospital.

Homeowners in Witchita, Kansas took action, fighting to keep a small park near Wesley Medical Center as is rather than converting it into a parking area.

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As residents postpone plans, the hospital has been unable to achieve any success in its plans to turn Sleepy Hollow Park into additional parking, local news affiliate KWCH reported.

The medical center will meet to discuss parking construction plans and hear community feedback in just a few days.

Wichita Independent Neighborhoods Vice President Trish Hileman is speaking on behalf of the neighborhood’s concerned homeowners.

“This would be a huge loss for Wesley, but it would also be a tremendous loss for the neighborhood,” she stressed.

“This is a park that the neighborhood has fought hard to keep here.”

Since she lives near the park, she also told hospital representatives that residents fighting for the park “just want destroying the park to be the last thing they consider.”

“As you can see, this is a beautiful, cute park,” she said.

Others chimed in to explain that the park is loved by the neighborhood.

“The park is used all the time,” said neighbor Kellie Borchers.

“I come here three times a day. There are people here every day: morning, afternoon and night.”

The decision on the future of the park is ultimately in the hands of the Wichita City Council.

“It seemed to the neighbors here that they just have other options that they haven’t fully considered,” Hileman said.

The Kansas homeowners also aren’t the only U.S. residents who have had parking problems at a hospital.

A New York City driver had to contest a parking ticket after parking near a hospital when it was proven to be a mistake.

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
• Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was going to move my car.”
  • “I can’t pay this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader Summary

Helen Tarullo admitted she made a mistake parking her rental Infiniti on the street, but said she didn’t notice the meter signs.

In the space of an hour and fifteen minutes, she received two parking tickets.

She paid for one ticket and disputed the other when she realized the address was incorrect.

The driver even wrote a five-page letter to the parking authority.