Man unhappy about being given parking tickets while he is paying at the meter

For the second time in two months, Larry Bosak got a parking ticket while paying at a street meter in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bosak manages several apartments and commercial offices downtown and frequently visits the area of North Third and Pine streets. That's where he got slapped with a parking ticket at 9:42am on Feb. 17. He had fed his meter at 9:41am.



Last Monday, he paid a meter at 2:36pm, the same minute he received a ticket. Bosak said he saw the enforcement officer walk across the street and write him a ticket while he was paying at the kiosk. Bosak then grabbed the ticket and marched over the Standard Parking's company office, where they told him they voided the ticket. After Bosak's ticket in February, he said parking officials told him to look out for parking attendants to make sure they see him.



But Bosak doesn't believe the onus should be on him to scout the area for parking enforcement officers. "That's sort of like making sure I don't get stabbed in the back," he said. John Gass, a director with the parking system, indicated enforcement officers and patrons should be looking out for each other. He said enforcement officers are trained to be mindful of their surroundings and those who may be paying at a meter.



But in any parking system controlled by street meters, Gass said it is inevitable that customers at times may receive ticket while in the process of paying. Standard Parking will review any tickets from customers who believe they were cited while feeding a meter on a case-by-case basis, Gass added. Parking officials have pledged to improve customer service and reduce erroneous tickets. They are planning several measures of parking relief, including a five-minute grace period for expired meters that could begin later this month.