Living On Three Continents: Guilty With An Explanation
Susan Siddeley deals with a parking ticket - Chile style!
A parking ticket hurts.
The best defence has to be ‘Guilty with an Explanation’, an admission of part-culpability in return for a docked fine - first encountered in Toronto many years ago. It fit my case - doing forty km. in a thirty zone whilst day dreaming about bluebells in Butternab Wood - perfectly - as it might that of any self-effacing person brought up in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
But, I had an eye-opener in Santiago, Chile two years ago.
Providencia is an uptown business district, which combines the best of the historical centre (bustle, people and cafes) with modern mall shopping. Ever since Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in the 16th century, people have parked on its tree-lined streets letting self-appointed street attendants - affable men waving dusters - take responsibility for feeding the parking meters. The system works because the men can sell time remaining on any ticket to the next space seeker.
One morning, two years ago, after centuries of turning a blind eye to this convenient practice - and quite without warning - the police swept through the district and arrested all the go-betweens! Half an hour later when all the meter tickets had expired, they returned and left parking tickets on all the cars sitting by the (then) unattended machines.
How unfair. I felt very upset until I remembered “Guilty with an Explanation”.
Two weeks later, at the Municipal Office as summoned, a fast queue led to a quick confrontation with an administrative assistant. After a glance at the relevant file, the lady declared a standard fine of $25.000 pesos ($50 sterling.) for the offence of not having coins in a Municipal parking meter when stationary in front of it.
I launched warmly (in Spanish) into a description of my long and well-intentioned career of supporting duster-waving parking caretakers, who would otherwise be out of work.
The lady seemed touched and offered to reduce the fine to $18.000pesos ($35 sterling).
“But it’s not good enough! You can’t change parking procedure without warning!”
“They just did!” She replied “But you can talk to the Judge.”
I fell in line behind two other frustrated clients. One had been ticketed for being in a designated spot outside a Senior’s Centre, but without sticker (the centre didn’t have any.) although the person was clearly senior and lame to boot. The second was protesting being ticketed for parking in a legitimate slot outside her apartment building. Both ladies had photos of their problem places and the relevant signs as evidence.
We were ushered before a Judge, who sitting behind a big desk in the roped-off centre of the mini-courtroom. He nodded curtly. We stated our cases. He replied.
“You must be more careful, the law is the law. It is clear and just. The first fine stands!”
“Rechazada por un perro!” (“Rejected by a dog”) the senior fumed.
We trailed back to the front desk where the more understanding assistant again offered the $18.000 option. This time we all took it.
One guilty with an explanation is your lifetime parking ration.
