Tickets Issued For Cars Buried In Snow
CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) -- If your car is still buried in snow in Chicago, you could find a nasty surprise waiting when you finally get it out.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports, Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) says as if everyone hadn't already been through enough with the blizzard, the city is adding insult to injury in the form of parking tickets.
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The Chicago Tribune reports some car owners who have not used their cars since the blizzard two weeks ago are finding tickets on them.
The abandonment tickets carry fines of $75 each. Under Chicago law, a vehicle can be deemed abandoned if it is parked on a public way, and has not been moved for more than seven consecutive days.
In the Edgewater neighborhood, which is largely in Smith's ward, some cars were buried up to their windows in the snow. Some car owners reasoned that the CTA 'L' and shopping were in walking distance anyway, so there was no reason to move their cars.
But tickets were issued. Some people said if they had known of the abandonment law, they would have dug out their cars a lot sooner.
Edgewater resident John Woolf called the ticketing "a cheap shot by the Police Department," the Tribune reported.
Under the code, a vehicle can be deemed abandoned if it can't be driven because of disrepair, or is parked without license plates or a temporary registration placard, the Tribune reported.
A spokeswoman for the city Revenue Department says owners who feel they have been cited unfairly should contest the tickets.
