I got a parking ticket at 0040 on July 22, 2009 in a Mass Pike service area. I received this ticket in the mail about 5 days later and was totally dumbfounded and here is the reason why:
There have been many nights spent in those service areas and I am always very grateful for that small piece of land to plant myself for the evening. Many of those nights I occupied a place that, had I received a ticket I would not have been surprised (in the area by the gas pumps, double-ended with another truck, in the car parking area and also in the bus parking area). But I remember this evening very well because I started out double-ended and then the guy next to me moved and I got my very own LEGAL piece of land to call mine for the night. So you can imagine my total shock at receiving this little letter from the State of Mass.
On this evening I saw the trooper outside looking at trucks I assumed he was writing tickets for idling never paid it any attention as I didn't even have my generator running that night.
Now here is the rip-off how many of you have parked in one of the service areas on the Mass Pike and NOT used chock blocks when you did so? I would imagine there are actually those of you (not saying very many but some) who may not even know what a chock block is or what it is used for. Well there are signs along with the idling signs that say all trucks must be chocked and after all it is just a $15.00 fine and you are guilty so how much revenue do you think they can make in a night with 2 officers writing tickets.
So maybe it is not a rip-off but the chock block law is so outdated it goes back prior to airbrakes. So you pay the money, they generate revenue and I got a parking place for the night.
And I know this is not as interesting a the Moderator
Controversy. SORRY
