A San Francisco woman arrived home from her business trip and noticed the curb at which she had parked her car had been painted red, and that she had received a $110 parking ticket for parking in a “red zone.”
However, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) said she was not cited for parking in a “red zone,” but because she had been there for too long.
“Ridiculous,” Rebecca Derenthal told local ABC affiliate ABC 7 about the incident. Derenthal had originally posted about the incident online, where her story was picked up by Reddit.
Derenthal had legally parked her car on Franklin Street near Lombard on July 11 before she left on a five-day business trip. According to ABC 7, she had a city parking permit, which meant she could park on the street for longer than the two-hour limit, and the street curb she had parked on did not have red on it when she parked there.
However, when she arrived back home, she walked up to her car and noticed a red zone violation ticket and saw that the spot she had parked her car on had been painted red.
ABC 7 pointed out that the fresh red paint could be seen on leaves in the gutter and on the pavement. The painting crew had painted around her tire, leaving a grey space untouched by the red paint.
Derenthal reportedly protested by going to the SFMTA’s website to appeal the citation, to no avail.
ABC 7 noted that when it spoke with SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose, he confirmed the space was painted red after Derenthal’s car was parked, and said “according to the California vehicle code, you can’t park in the same location for more than 72 hours.”
However, ABC 7 notes that Derenthal’s ticket was issued for a “red zone” violation. Further, the rejection letter she received from the SFMTA after her appeal reportedly did not mention anything about a 72-hour parking restriction.
Derenthal reportedly plans to appeal again and she intends to do so in person.
Photo: file
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