Got a parking ticket from mppj (local town council) today. Wtf? I always park on the edge of the residential road bordering the commercial area where the college is, and I've never had problems for years. Ticket said "parking outside lined area", yeah right - there are a whole row of frickin' parking bays there.

I know just across the drain separating the houses and the commercial area is a road lined with pay-parking spots, but of course I don't park there. Crazy - you gonna pay per-hour parking for a whole day? Plus these residential spots are supposed to be for the nearby houses, but they don't mind outsiders parking there - as long as we don't block the road, and for years it's all been hunky-dory.

What I think happened is that the council lackeys, on their usual once-in-a-couple-of-weeks "get off our asses and show that we're doing work" kicks, instead of just patrolling the pay-bays and ticketing people who don't buy tickets there, decided to cross to the residential road and book cars there as well.

Why the hell they decided to cross into the residential road I have no idea. It's not like it's "just on the other side of a divider". It's across a drain, and the residential road is a raised area to boot. You have to drive like half a kilometre around the housing estate to get up there, and there are even a row of trees separating the residential road from the main road with the pay bays. What the hell possessed them to trespass up here.

Of course I fought the bloody ticket, but you don't get anywhere going head-on against bureaucracy. After all I didn't have a parking ticket - but who the hell buys one to park on a residential road? I argued it down and got 60% off (the maximum), but I'm still pissed.

I could, of course, park even further - put some distance between the commercial area, like say along the inner roads. But then I'd be parking on the road shoulder outside peoples' houses, and I'm not one of those inconsiderate nimrods who do crap like that. There's a large-ish road on one side of the housing area where residents often park their extra cars, so I guess I can go there (about an extra 10 minutes' walk).

But for the time being, I'm going to print a bunch of those lousy parking tickets and park right smack near the shops. Until I recoup how much they fined me only, of course. It's the principle of the thing.

I have a motto to live up to, after all. "In Defeat, Malice; In Victory, Revenge."

- Ce.