<i>bye bye, one more tourist's car not clogging up the streets, good.</i>

More room then for one of the DC area's bitterest lemons.

<i>I am sorry that a tourist or anyone gets caught in the web of unclear parking signs of DC.</i>

Amen to that. It's a byzantine web. And the over zealous parking enforcement officers have been known to make the occasional mistake or more.

"Tourists shouldn't be driving around at all, period".

Neither should airhead ESPN reporters.

There are plenty of lots where you can pay to park your car for a modest sum. And there's public transit.

The sad fact is that clueless tourists parking illegally throughout DC outstrip the ability of the DC government to enforce the traffic laws, creating massive backups that waste everyone's time.

Blaming tourists for creating "massive backups" is jut plain silly. Plenty of residents of the DMV area park in the city and then there are the delivery trucks that park everywhere. It's curious that on a travel board there are people making disparging comments about tourists. Arent we all tourists at some point, thus the reason we come to Fodors?

<i>
I find it laughable that one things cities should have convenient change machines around on the streets for people to use for parking.</i>

Cities try to make payment convenient. Meters and centralized payment boxes frequently accept credit and debit cards.

Does DC have a parking app, such as ParkMobile, available? I find that method very convenient.

yes, it does http://ddot.dc.gov/page/pay-phone-parking

Great, thanks, yestravel! That bit of info deserves its own thread, actually. Granted, not many visitors to DC drive themselves--we go every year and never drive--but still.

Has anyone else noticed these two things about the OP?

1. It's a first-time post.

2. He/she has not commented since the original posting.

Further comment would be superfluous!



2.

Op, I am sorry that you had an unpleasant experience. That it may be partly or entirely your fault does not lessen the downer that is an unexpected unpleasant surprise while on vacation.

"We paid the $120 and then received the ticket, (They only take cash and offer no receipt) "

If I've understood you correctly, I can understand your consternation about this part. There should be some receipt indicating that the ticket has actually been paid (if only by the towing company.)And I agree that cash only terms are unreasonable for charges in the order of $120.

Meanwhile, if the ticket was actually an official ticket issued by a parking control officer ( I don't know how it works in DC, but I assume the outfit that actually issues the parking is affiliated with the police in some way) then the ticket could be challenged in court. However this will likely prove more expensive for tourists than simply sucking up the fine and letting the matter go, so I agree that tourists are somewhat more vulnerable to any potential mistakes than residents.

Having just returned from DC I can vouch that taxis are an viable option for those who can't for whatever reason use public transit or walk. They are not as expensive as I thought they would be for the convenience. I certainly would never attempt to park in that town near any of the major attractions - the likelihood that metred parking is available that will suffice for the length of a museum visit is miniscule, given the tiny supply relative to demand.

Wait a minute - as I have no experience with being towed, I may have misunderstood. Perhaps the $120 was only for the tow and you are still expected to remit money for the ticket to whichever agency (police, whatever) that handles such things.

In general in the DC area, the tow charge must be paid in cash to the tow company & is separate from any ticket issued. The various jurisdictions contract with towing companies and yes, the towing charge is not inexpensive. As a life long DC resident, it is possible to park downtown, but you must be careful to heed the confusing signs as mentioned above and feed the meter and move by any indicated time. The meter maids and towing companies are very vigilant.

I agree with HowardR that this was a one and done poster who just wanted to b!tch about his bad parking experience.

However, that said, $120 is getting off lightly for a tow in DC. I don't have huge experience having my car towed, but the few times I have (DC and elsewhere), it's been cash only.

<i>The meter maids and towing companies are very vigilant.</i>

The parking on the street outside our condo is cleared for morning rush. No meter maid, but a pretty burly guy on a segway and a tow truck are there at 6:45 am M-F. Parking Enforcement guy is writing the tickets and the party commences promptly at 7. $50 cash fee to drop the tow in progress. I do have experience with that.

I've learned to park in parking structures when in a city of any size--even here in Atlanta when I'm downtown during business hours. Costs more, but the peace of mind is precious. The best feature of parking structures is the freedom to take your time and not have to run back to the car every couple of hours to feed the meter.

To answer all your questions: Yes we paid our meter... we are not idiots. And yes! if a tourist town, city or any area have only coins meter, it will be sensible to have coin machines. No, it was not a BUS parking area, no signs for busses or vendors. When a cop admit and a taxi driver that this is going on without even suggesting it, then it is a shame. But as we were told... "it is a civil matter and nothing can be done". And yes, it is a B*th rampage and also a way of letting other tourists know what to expect. In all reality, Washington D.C loses tons of money for as long as this goes on. We were planning on spending a couple thousand and stay awhile, but if this is how out of State tourists are treated... you can fund your Washington D.C yourself.

Don't go to Providence RI and think you'll get any sympathy if you park overnight, regardless of the lack of signage.

<In all reality, Washington D.C loses tons of money for as long as this goes on.>

Not so, however much you may wish it were. The vast majority of DC tourists don't drive themselves. And no one, in the history of ever, ever said "Gosh, I'd like to visit DC, but I might get a parking ticket, so forget it."

<But as we were told... "it is a civil matter and nothing can be done".>
There is something to be done: you could go to traffic court and dispute the ticket--with evidence, mind you. I did this once and won. I know it's inconvenient for you to return to the city to do this, but inconvenient is not the same as impossible. And DC is hardly alone in requiring disputes to be in person.

You chose the convenient route of simply paying--most do. Now you're mad. Get over it, is my advice, again.

It's good to know how little things change . . 40 years ago when I first visited DC, we stayed at a KOA out by Quantico that held a introductory meeting in the evenings. The Gunny who ran the meetings warned everyone about the confusing and sometimes contradictory signage and the "efficiency" of the tow trucks and warned against parking unless using the parking garages

"you can fund your Washington D.C yourself." Unfortunately, we the taxpayers of the US are funding D.C. in ever increasing amounts.

<In all reality, Washington D.C loses tons of money for as long as this goes on.>

Really? Just how much were you going to spend? In any case, many, many tourists are sensible enough to read the guidebooks and take public transport.

DC is a government town as much as if not more than it is a tourist town, I don't think your absence will be noticed.