WASHINGTON — A Kensington man who went to visit a friend in the District of
Columbia ended up fighting a parking ticket that was no fault of his own.
Jose Carrasco received the parking ticket at 3400 K Street NW, under the
Whitehurst Freeway, on Sept. 20. The Department of Public Works (DPW) officer
wrote a ticket because Carrasco did not feed the meter. However, the parking
signs and stickers indicated that drivers had pay to park only from Monday to
Friday. Carrasco received the ticket on a Saturday.
“It was 25 bucks. So I said that it really didn’t make any sense. Their
signs said Monday to Friday and there were no other signs in the area to say
anything else,” says Carrasco.
He took pictures to back up his claims. One picture shows the unique meter
identification number listed on the ticket with a “Monday to Friday” sticker
attached to it.
“Why should I be getting a ticket if the signs are incorrect? It doesn’t make
sense,” says Carrasco.
WTOP forwarded the images to DPW and DDOT. Two weeks later, the city fixed
the parking signs and stickers to add Saturday.
“Once I had the before and after pictures, I knew that I was in the right.
They clearly made a mistake and I had proof of it,” says Carrasco.
Within a few days, DPW spokeswoman Linda Grant told Carrasco his ticket would
be voided.
“For most of us, it’s just the first time getting a ticket. We don’t know
what to do, or what the process is. So it’s just great to have somebody that
actually knows what he is doing,” says Carrasco.
He also recommends that, when you get an unfair parking ticket, take pictures
of the signs and stickers to show why the ticket should not have been written.
If you think you’re the victim of a bogus speed camera, red-light camera or
parking ticket in D.C., Maryland or Virginia, WTOP may be able to help you cut
the red tape. Email us your case — along with documentation — to ticketbuster@wtop.com.
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