Responce to Michael Donovan's recent post

City Councilman and Allentown Parking Authority Board Member Michael Donovan recently posted this blog entry: Parking Ticket Fines ... below are my thoughts:


@STREET CLEANING:
Wow ... you're my hero. Except for the fact that Street Cleaning in Allentown is COMPLETELY UNNESASSARY! I've spoken to several people in the Allentown Streets Department as to why they do so much redundant street cleaning and within a day found a reasonable solution that would eliminate all the parking havoc caused by the current method. I then presented that solution to the Streets Department and never got a response to my endless follow-up calls. Next I presented a case for a performance audit of current Street Cleaning methods to the City Controller and "surprise surprise" I got no response. The fact of the matter is; that a reasonably priced upgrade to the city's water system would solve MANY PROBLEMS, but the current method that involves two city departments following each other around for countless man hours and requires every citizen to move their car off the streets in a city that is already hard-pressed for parking seems like the cheaper, easier and more logical way to go, right?


@DOUBLE PARKING:
Because some grumpy old man at the Morning Call wrote one of the worst, one-sided, articles about double parking ever (Paul Carpenter: Double-parking plague infects city); you're going to raise the fine? (I see no mention of enforcement, just rising the fine; which will actually accomplish nothing) Now, I admit some people double park in a very inconsiderate manner ... they park in the middle of the street then leave the vehicle sitting, while others, pullover, do a quick 'drop-off' to let a passenger out who may have a heavy item or child/children with them, etc.. But to simply punish EVERYONE is not the answer because it doesn't address the problem.

The REAL problem is; THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK! This is an ENORMOUS FAILURE on the part of the Allentown Parking Authority. With that said I would like to add; WOW YOU HAVE NERVE! YOU HAVE FAILED AND NOW YOU WANT TO FURTHER PUNISH THE CITIZENS OF ALLENTOWN FOR YOUR FAILURE!?!? I am very very very un-impressed.

There are only and handful of solutions to the city's parking problems and they are clear cut:

1) The Allentown Parking Authority must buy land, build parking lots, and offer free parking to residents to alleviate congestion.

And/Or

2) The City and the Parking Authority need to work together and not allow houses to be converted to apartments in areas with little or no parking. Furthermore they need to convert some of the multi-family buildings back to single homes.

Raising fines to give the 'appearance of action' does NOTHING to actually solve the problem.



@TRUCK RESTRICTION:
THIS LAW IS MORONIC! If a truck is parked on a city street in a manner that obstructs the flow of traffic and is a danger then give it a ticket. But to simply BAN a truck from parking anywhere is stupid! This is clearly something that falls into the "We have To-Many-Laws category" since other laws already address any REAL PROBLEM that could occur from an oversized vehicle being parked on the street. All this law does is punish and inconvenience people who happen to drive a truck. (PERIOD)


@MULTIPLE TICKETS:
Every once in a while you do something that will only help bring attention to the fact that Allentown Parking Authority is out of control. When we have a city full of hard-to-ignore, big-yellow-boots, on every car, truck, SUV, baby stroller and ambulance; people will start to take a good long look at how the APA is run and I can assure you they will not be pleased.

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For more information on the Corrupt, Wasteful, Hypocritical, Nuisance that is the APA visit this site about the Allentown Parking Authority

Why Politicians are like a Burger King Manager

When you were young did you ever work at a place that had a manager who would make a federal case out over an employee's nose ring or make life hell for the employee who clocked in 2 minutes late even though they are the same employees who NEVER mess up a customer’s order and all the other employees love them? I feel Government operates in a similar way. They nit-pick us to death passing & enforcing laws over STUPID STUFF to make it look like they are doing something while the the person who always clocks in on-time just messed up the last 8 drive thru orders.

Here's an example of what I mean; City Council member Michael Donovan recently posted a comment on his blog that he wants the police to start issuing more traffic tickets to give the appearance of a strong police presence in Allentown. So basically what he's saying is that it’s better for the police to look like they're doing something than to be actually doing something. But let's take it a step further ... odds are that the police ARE doing something and now they have to go write more tickets too ... Sooooooo ... the cops will now be too busy to fight REAL CRIME thus the crime rate goes up ... theeeeeen ... we'll need more money, for more cops who will be asked to hand out more tickets and it just goes on and on. As a result none of our food orders are correct (we all get more speeding tickets) and the only person who is happy about it is the ONE A-HOLE customer who has a problem with nose rings (the person who is happy they got a speeding ticket because it makes him feel safer living here)

Are you missing the point of this post? If so .. i'm sorry but today I'm just spewing things out

Close the Allentown Parking Authority !

Allentown Parking Authority

Over the weekend I finally found some time to put into the Anti-Allentown Parking Authority website: http://www.brokenladders.com

It's nowhere near my best web design work, but with limited time to put into the project, I think the information on the site makes up for the lack of my normal flashy graphics. I'll keep updating the information and plan to add 2 more sections when I can find the time, so check in from time-to-time for the latest updates.

On a related note: Today I was at the A-Plus on 12th and Hamilton and I ran into a police officer who shook my hand for calling out the Allentown Parking Authority ... and ... well ... while I might not get paid cash for all my hours of research into the APA ... that handshake made it all worthwhile.

Protest the Allentown Parking Authority on Wed. Sept. 23, 2009 at 4pm

Come One, Come All! To what may just be the greatest show on earth! The Wednesday September 23, 2009 - Allentown Parking Authority Board Meeting at 4pm! I'll be there (with a few others) to amaze and astound you! It will be a board meeting like none you've witnessed before! Chock-full of News Worthy information the general public WANTS TO KNOW! While it may not be the Jerry Springer Show; Tempers will Flare and that always makes for entertaining news, right?


Where:
"The Circus" AKA - The Allentown Parking Authority
1005 Hamilton Street Allentown PA

When:
Wednesday September 23, 2009 at 4:00pm

Why:
Because it's way overdue

What to bring:
A Camera! You're going to want to watch this over and over again!



BTW, Did you know the Allentown Parking Authority IS a privately owned "FOR PROFIT" business? (Don't believe me? Go ahead; call them up and ask them: 610-437-3366 / http://www.allentownparking.com/contact.php)


I'll be pointing out things like:

• How it’s a bad thing for the Allentown Parking Authority to boot and/or impound a car used for medical emergencies (because they were obviously too stupid to figure it out on their own)
  
• How Tamara Weller (the Executive Director) is like an out-of-control manager of a Burger King!
  
• How spending OVER $53,704.00 for a website is a HUGE F'n WASTE OF MONEY! (and this is just one example)
  
• How the Allentown Parking Authority should use Public Transportation (What a waste of money for them to buy all those cars when we already pay for buses ... not to mention their carbon footprint)
  
• How the parking authority should be considered a Public Nuisance (if your Bar or Nightclub needed police assistance as much as they do, you wouldn’t be in business very long)
  
• How the Allentown Parking Authority rarely provides a service to YOU ... the citizens (demonstrated by the low number parking complaints vs. the large number of parking tickets)
  
• How the Allentown Parking Authority targets low-income families
  
• And so much more!

DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!

Where:
"The Circus" AKA - The Allentown Parking Authority
1005 Hamilton Street Allentown PA

When:
Wednesday September 23, 2009 at 4:00pm

PS - For those who find this post after Sept. 23, 2009 ... don't give up! Fight for what is right!