Sigma40 is correct. This is about raising revenue for those excessive police pensions that are bankrupting cities across the entire U.S. The streets of Janesville are not Michigan Avenue Chicago. Janesville is a small city in the middle of vast rural area of cornfields. The streets are extremely wide and most of the time you have the entire street to yourself. The population of Janesville has dropped significantly since GM closed.

If you really want to make some money off of parking tickets, just hit up the Woodman's parking lot. There's clear signs that say "No Parking" in certain areas with arrows showing where you cannot park, yet no matter when you drive through there, there's cars parked there. I love when I park next to one of those spots and go about loading up my kids and groceries in the car and some moron honks repeatedly because he insists on parking in the no parking area when there are 4 parking spots available on the other side. Wouldn't want your 400 pound body to take an extra 3 steps, huh?

Any extra money at the end of the year can be used as a 'bonus' for represented city employees.

If cops have so little to do during a snow emergency that they can write 411 warnings, maybe there are too many cops.

Manners
Feb 4, 2012 at 10:27 a.m.
Suggest removal

Jjjammers if they're going to do that they should make it mandatory all homes and rentals provide off-street parking. I live 3 miles from the nearest place to park my car during a snow emergency leagally.

Is this a joke. If you have issues then rent something with a driveway!

sigma- this is a safety issue with the heep covered in snow and then the plow doesn't plow close to it. Your steet is blocked and anytime this happens VISABILITY is bad.
Remember drivers ed when you sat in your fake car and it is snowey and then it is all clear. Remember visabilty differences!
Then the heep sits there until it snows again compounding the issue. They were to lazy to move it the first time do you think they will have any ambition to dig out that heep when it is under a foot of snow and ice.
Manners- 3 miles? Have a hard time believing you. Better BAKE SOME COOKIES for the neighbor.
Park on the lawn- whatever. Get it off the street so ALL of the road will be clear when they are done.

Having vehicles in the street makes it hard to plow the street, it makes a narrow spot that will get worse with each snowfall and plowing.

People need to get their vehicles off the street during snow emergencies or pay the fine. Why should everyone else have to put up with substandard street conditions because someone is too cheap or too lazy to move their vehicle? The fine should be much more, $100-$200 with jail time for not paying. This would wake up even the cheapest and most lazy.

If the city raised the fine to $100, it would elicit serious compliance.

I let my tentents park in the driveway when a snow emegy is on I have friends that own rental proprty that have worked out with people acrooss the street from them to pay them 20bucks a year to park off street in their driveway if needed.

There is always a way to get your car off the street stop whining maybe ask the person next door who knows maybe they will let you park for one night. try bartering. Is everyone stupid in this city does not anyone know how to adapt to change? There are going to be the same people that are going to be the first to dye after the zombie attacks

Jjjammers if they're going to do that they should make it mandatory all homes and rentals provide off-street parking. I live 3 miles from the nearest place to park my car during a snow emergency leagally.

People have been parking on the streets for over 100 years.. why is it now a safety hazard? The poorly ran mismanaged city needs more money and they are trying to increase fines everywhere and disguising the reasons for doing so by claiming public safety....lol. Stiffer DUI fines, parking fines, Bully fines,... Fines do not teach anything. When they going to realize that? What next? Fines for walking too fast? They will have to target a group of people and find out what they do that other people dont do as much and make that illegal... guaranteed revenue.

Maybe you would get "complaince" if you actually handed out tickets!! duh.
They could make it even/odd. Takes them two days anyway right?! Then if ticket no excuse.
superdave- editor hard at work as usual.
They say they are going form $20-$30. Weird math as well!!

I couldn't read the article because I couldn't get past the first sentence.
"City officials hope a 50 percent increase in the fine for parking on the street during a snow emergency will accomplish was seven years of warnings has not: better compliance".
What does this mean: "will accomplish was"???

What a joke! The Janesville employee across the street from my house has parked outside his house for last four years on every declared snow emergency and he and his family has received "NO" tickets! I have complained and also my next door neighbor has complained to the Janesville police department and the Janesville police department has not issued a ticket on my street. Janesville should treat every citizen the same and ticket Janesville employess too.

The City should move to a year-round ban on overnight street parking.

(sarcasm) Wait. This is a tax and us Republicans don't like taxes because we want to be free to be as dumb as we want.

Hike the ticket price and enforce the tickets swiftly.

Other cities solve the "nowhere to go" problem by using alternate-side parking, which is potentially an option, but would probably be more expensive in plowing terms. The city lots may be somewhat inconvenient, but in practice I think most people who don't have a neighbor willing to lend a bit of driveway have someone who can give them a ride the few times there's a snow emergency.
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As we live near downtown, there is a premium on parking on our block, and it's very frustrating that someone by the intersection with the busy street ALWAYS (historically it's been different people) "helps" the plows create a mini-Alps right by the stop sign. It makes it difficult to get through and dangerous to confront the cross traffic.

Well, I'd much sooner agree to pay this fine for something I actually did wrong that the $10 wheel tax I now have to pay simply for the "privilege" of owning a car which I pay to license, register and pay gas tax for that is parked in my driveway, which I pay property tax for.

I'm impressed by just how serious our city mgr. really is! In the last 7 years, inflation probably would have added 50% to that (laughable) $20 fine. If it's actually IMPOSSIBLE for residents in the same part of town to park off the street, then we should change the building code AND make allowances in writing tickets. If we're talking about serious deterrence, then we'd better jack that up to $100!

Well considering during the last snowfall I happened to get stuck behind a Janesville plow truck who was ALL OVER THE ROAD on Center Ave. And I dont mean just in his lane, but he was weaving from one to the other for no apparent reason. No way in hell was anyone gonna try to pass when he got back in the curb lane since he would had swerved over as soon as they got up next to him.

He didnt even have the wing down.

A fine and towing seems appropriate. This is a definite safety issue when cars are parked on the street in a snow emergency.

You people do realize that some people don't have the option of parking elsewhere, right? Do you expect us to go drive around while you're plowing in an attempt to not get the ticket? Yeah, that's real safe.

So the people who cant afford to get their cars off the street we throw fines at them? Ya.... that should fix it. Safety hazard...lol. thats a good excuse. What a joke. Its snow and ice... its winter.. who cares.

"City plows must navigate around vehicles left on streets, sometimes resulting in piles of hard snow and ice that can create safety hazards."

So, in the name of safety, get serious and start towing the offending vehicles.

Well the way I see it is like this people usally have ample time with all the coverage snow storms get today that all it takes is a little planning ahead to have your vehicle gone before the plows come thru or parked some place where you will not be ticketed. And if you know a neighbor that has a disability reach out and offer a hand in helping them, that is what america is missing a little compassion.

I doubt if there is a fine big enough to impel some folks to move their cars. If you are able to move your heap do it asap.
But before you rush to judgement on this - think::
If you find yourself away or even stranded in another town and can't make it back to Janesville in a timely manner, The elderly, sick and infirm also will find it difficult sometimes to physically get out and get the car unshovelled or moved quickly.