Auggie said:
I don't get the disrespect for meter maids/green hornets, they're doing an honest job of making sure you're penalized for not following basic rules. If people got away with not paying they'd hog the parking space all day and it wouldn't be available for you.
There isn't any deception and they aren't in your face about it like other jobs.
As far as technical writers and instructions, I can't deal with them as well. But I'm also terrible with basic menu stuff on my TV and I usually can't run a basic DVD player or use a cell phone these days.
I don't have a problem with people doing their job. It is when they not only do a good job, but take pride in hosing people. For eg: hovering around a meter that is about to expire? or Handing out a ticket for parking outside the allowed timeline....1 minute prior to the allowed time......I got a ticket downtown for $40.00 and the time on it? 9:59 am and the allowed time was 10:00 am.
Another example is that show "parking wars". They showed meter maids hiding in the bushes outside a local sandwich shop because they knew lots of people stop, put their 4 ways on, go in, grab a sandwich to go, and out they come. That's just LOW.
Or how about not ticketing 18 wheelers on delivery who are not only parking illegally out of the allowed time, but blocking off the right turn lane? I used to drive up spadina every morning on the way to the site where I got the ticket at 9:59 and traffic was backed up for blocks because this deliver truck was blocking off a lane. Not only that but sometimes they'd be double parked and blocking off an entire THROUGH lane.....
Or did you know that anyone parked on any city street overnight, even though you are allowed to park there, can get a ticket for "unreasonable length of time"??? The rule is a maximum of 4 hrs. I used to get ticketed in front of my parent's house when I lived there at 4 am in the morning.
I was on the danforth one day and I saw a woman walk up to an SUV, open the back tail gate and start putting her groceries in. After she started I saw a meter maid walk up to the front of the vehicle and start punching in a ticket. She came around the front and said WTH you doing? He said "I didn't see you back there, here's your ticket". But I was HERE, doesn't matter tough shit fuck you......
I was with a sales rep once and he was parked on yonge st north of eglinton. He bought a ticket, put it on his windshield. We got back from lunch and saw a meter maid giving him a ticket. He said "wtf, I have a ticket" The MM said "it isn't totally visible". WTF my friend says: it's right fucking there! You can see the whole ticket...."no" the MM says "your ____ sticker is blocking some of it"......OMFG you have to move your head an inch to the right to read the entire DATE....."too bad" the MM says.....(it was one of those transparent window stickers for an oil change or something...you could see the ticket was for this day, and the right time, I think the year was partially blocked but if you moved your head slightly, you could read it.....and dont' get me started on the one where the ticket blew to the middle of the dashboard and wasn't in the corner by the driver's side)....
I can give you thousands more examples but my fingers are sore.
The thing is, if cops took their job that seriously, then everyone would be ticketed/charged 10 times a day. The way the world works is to look the other way sometimes, give grace, bend the rules a bit just to get along. I've used this example before: if you've had anal sex in the last 7 years then you should turn yourself in because you've broken the law. If you've ever crossed the street not at an intersection and not in a marked crosswalk, you've broken the law. If you've ever failed to signal a lane change, you've broken the HTA.
As for not being "in your face about it", OMFG dude, you can't be serious? I have yet to see one who doesn't relish the fact when they stick that ticket under your wiper....
Oh yeah, might I point out the reason for the global economic meltdown is 100% caused by people "not bending the rules".....