PARKatlanta Welcomes Florida Visitor With Parking Ticket

Editor's note: Atlanta motorists are no strangers to the ongoing drama that is PARKatlanta, the firm contracted by the city of Atlanta to enforce parking codes. The company has been under fire for its enforcement policies leading to scores of complaints to Atlanta City Council members, including Kwanza Hall, whose district includes the Old Fourth Ward, parts of Little Five Points and Midtown. On Monday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the Atlanta City Council enacted changes in its contract with PARKatlanta. Among them: blocking the writing of tickets when signs are missing or meters are broken.

The changes could prevent the situation a recent out-of-town visitor experienced Nov. 17 in Hall's district. That visitor, Chip Leister, who comes from South Florida, wrote a letter to city officials to express his frustration at getting a ticket on a street where he said there were no signs prohibiting parking. He shared his letter with East Atlanta Patch. Meanwhile, Hall's office said it is investigating.

Dear Angela and Benita:

I know you get complaints daily, if not hourly from Atlantans/visitors about your "rogue" hired parking firm, PARKatlanta. What is comical is that they get to keep all revenues over $5.5 million. So, if I were them, I would write tickets until the world ran out of ink and paper.

And for no reason, because most folks pay the $25 instead of fighting it, I have attached a couple photos of the ticket I got from visiting a neighborhood off the Georgia Tech campus on a gameday.

Not only was there no sign, but no yellow curb or fire hydrant. Nor did the ticketing moron capture a photo of my vehicle with a sign there for proof that there is/was a sign there for one to obey. So I took some photos for you to reveiw — and ask that you view my citation online — parkatlanta.org and citation No. 304398286. Vehicle tag ja4IX.

The photo the ticketing moron took was of my vehicle but no sign around.   Please also visit the corner to Atlantic Drive NW and Home Park Drive NW — on the northeast side of this intersection is where I parked, behind another car at the large tree.

If there was a sign from the corner to the first large tree right on the road — I would gladly pay the fine. But the fact is, there is not a sign there. I also ask that you go there in person and see for yourself. Or please visit the link below from Google Earth and see there is no sign there and idea of where I parked.

This has got to stop. Please forward this to your management about another unhappy visitor to downtown Atlanta.

I have appealed this ticket online through Atlanta Municipal court, and expect to be dismissed of this ticket.  Please let me know what else I can do to help stop this nonsense.

— Chip Leister