‘Facts’ presented by recipients of ‘lame ticket’ aren’t respected

Q I’m always shocked at people who complain about being given a ticket when they were breaking the law, but only a little.

— J. Gordon, Sunnyvale

A A recent column on drivers who received what they considered “lame tickets” drew heated responses.

There was the guy who rolled through a stop sign at less than 5 mph and couldn’t figure out why he got a ticket.

The lady who did not have a front license plate and then parked illegally in San Francisco.

And the Southern California man on his way to catch a plane who ducked early into a carpool lane.

Q I have to rebut the complaint about getting a really LAME ticket for blowing off a stop light. As I take my daily walk I am appalled at the selfish and unsafe behavior of drivers running a red light to make a right turn. Not coming to a complete stop easily becomes a habit. A very selfish and dangerous one.

— Dave Marshall Milpitas

A I heard from a lot of pedestrians with similar complaints.

Q Good to know that some cops are issuing tickets for failure to stop at a STOP sign. What did you think the sign meant? Ditto for vehicles without a front license plate. That’s been a requirement for decades.

— Mike Smith

A But now to a really lame ticket.

Q It bothers me that people get punished like criminals for things that aren’t really wrong. I got a ticket when trying to get some lunch in downtown San Francisco and couldn’t find parking anywhere, but finally managed to get a spot in a random side street.

I looked carefully for signs to make sure it wasn’t too good to be true.

When I came back 3040 minutes later, still within my meter time, I found a ticket on my windshield. I was incredulous.

Turns out, there was a sign on the other end of the street indicating that there is street cleaning between 10 a.m and noon and I had happened to park within that time. It wasn’t really like I did anything wrong.

But it didn’t matter. I needed to be punished.

That makes me extremely frustrated and upset.

Is that really a government by the people, of the people and for the people? Is that really just?

San Francisco makes driving and parking absolutely impossible, and then they punish you for it.

That seems totally wrong. It’s like a system that is designed to get you no matter what. I’ve never gotten a ticket anywhere else, but in San Francisco I’ve gotten three (all parking tickets for ticky-tacky stupid things that really weren’t my fault).

— Steven B., Cupertino

A I would agree. This seems ticky tack.