Almost everyday I have to remind myself that if I were to ever actually run over one of the meter maids I could get myself into some real trouble. Instead I take a deep breath and remind myself of the horrible childhood they must have had to take such perverse pleasure of the ticketing of the whole entire city of Berkeley. It is quite possible that my economic stimulus went directly into their pockets. This is the worst one they've done to me: My dad parks his car in front of my house while go on vacation for a week. I buy a 14 day pass and we put it on the dashboard following all of the instructions on it. We get back and the car is covered with tickets. I think they even ran out of windshield wiper space. Serious. I had a pass!! And to add insult to injury when they sent the rejects for my protest they sent one for each ticket. The poor postman probably got a back injury from the weight of those letters. Stupid Parking Jerks. read more

I WOULD vote a negative star if I had a chance. Instead I'm voting with my money. After two tickets both within minutes of an expired time (I was hurrying to get back and missed it) and both at $40 a piece when the business I was buying from only got a fourth of that money I'm not going to go downtown or buy at downtown Berkeley businesses until the parking policies get a tad more civil. And I advocate all who agree with me, AVOID DOWNTOWN businesses and parking. The only thing that will get the message through is to boycott using downtown. Imagine what it would do for downtown business if there were not parking meters or tickets! And how that would boost the tax basis. But instead the parking regulations are punitive. If they really want to redevelop downtown -- make parking reasonable and fines reasonable. In this economy $40 for an expired meter is WAY out of line. read more

Jim N wrote in August of 2011: "I parked my car on Hearst St. about a block and a half west of Shattuck(in front of a Medical Office bldg.) at 11:15 am. I then went to Berkeley Espresso and came back to check on my car at 2pm, with a parking ticket on the windshield. The ticket says that my tire was chalked at 10:05 am and that the ticket was written shortly after 1pm. Is this a common practice? It seems to me that it should be illegal to fraudulently state a chalk time on a car in order to justify issuing a fine." In my experience of 25+ years in Berkeley this is not a "common" practice, but it has happened to me twice (including today). Last time I was able to get the ticket rescinded because, amazingly, I had concrete proof that the "mark time" on the second ticket was phony (the proof was that I had been ticketed, 15 minutes earlier, by the same officer, at a different location). An internal "investigation" was supposedly launched at the time, but I understand that no action was taken against the parking enforcement officer who wrote the ticket that was proven to be phony. I am, once again, contacting the supervisor of Parking Enforcement for the City of Berkeley Traffic and Parking Bureau about today's incident (mark time: 9:15 a.m., although I did not arrive until 9:56 a.m., ticket time: 11:27 a.m.). It is unlikely that I will be able to get the ticket rescinded, but I think it is worth it to contact the Berkeley Parking Enforcement Supervisors and let them know when these things happen -- I got the impression that is more like a rogue officer trying to meet a quota rather than an institutional policy of giving out phony tickets. read more

Beyond absurd... they give tickets when there was no violation, don't even review your message or evidence when contesting a ticket, and going beyond that is so ridiculously bureaucratic (get a video on physical tape?!?!?) that it's not worth it. Terrible. read more

Parking enforcement should be like any other government service - it should SERVE the community, not steal from them. Especially in these rough economic times! I got lost and pulled into a spot to READ A MAP in my car. There is no way I was there more than 2 minutes and I was just about to drive away when I look up and see the parking enforcement guy there, starting to write me a ticket! I explain that I was lost and did the responsible thing - pulling over instead of trying to read a map while driving. The only way I could convince him not write me a ticket was to go pay for parking, and I think that only worked because I'm pregnant and I really played the pity card. Don't even get me started on the 3 tickets I got while on vacation for not having a front license plate. Good thing they're here to save the city of Berkeley from dangerous cars without front plates. I'm glad my tax dollars are going towards paying salaries of people who protect us so well. One morning I even arrived at my car to find that they had painted the curb red while I was parked there. Fortunately I noticed before the parking people did, but the car across the street in the same situation wasn't so lucky. The best part is that I've seen them taking cigarette breaks while parked in the red, in a crosswalk, and in front of a fire hydrant. Nice. read more

Wow - I'm really writing to review all the whiners and illegal parkers here. "I double park all the time and never got a ticket until..." "Two tickets for 2-hour parking expiration?" Give me a break. If everyone was parking legally and able to read posted signage (street sweeping), what reason would they have to take note of your vehicle? Gripe all you want, but if you give them a legitimate reason to ticket you, you DESERVE IT. Ride a bike if it's such a problem for you to pay for your offense. read more

It's hard to think of a more unpopular organization than a city's parking enforcement, but I gotta say that over the years I've lived in Berkeley, all my interactions with finance department in dealing with parking matters have been pleasant and fair. Every time I visited the finance office in person to pay tickets or renew a permit, It takes less than a half hour. Service there is quick, and the workers I've talked to there actually seem like they're willing to listen. To credit of the meter maids, I never once received an unjust or illegible parking ticket. Funny thing is, I never appreciated all this until I moved to Oakland. Their handwritten tickets are often illegible, don't show up in the system until months later, and, I kid you not, often placed on the wrong cars. It's taken an entire year and a half for them to even respond to my contest after I got a street sweeping ticket on a street with no "no parking" signs posted anywhere. So, to all you nice people who've taken the time to beat a dead horse and write a 1 star review for a parking enforcement division, please know that it could be worse. A lot worse. read more

I parked to let my eighty year old mother out of the car to go to a meeting she had on Shattuck, there was no traffic coming. Oh except the meter maid, who casually drove by, without even a look. Then I pulled up to a parking spot meter a half a block away (the closest one). She came out after a bit and i picked her up. Two weeks later I get a ticket in the mail for obstructing traffic. Wow really, I mean come on she's eighty one and dos'nt walk to good. All I have to say is Berkeley you suck as a city if you have to take advantage of the elderly. My mother has agreed to pay this ticket for me. So I guess Berkeley bilks another old lady out of some retirement money she needs to live on. The city of Berkeley abuses its powers and here is another perfect example. Shame on all of you!!!!!!!!! signed; unhappy resident, soon to be exresident !!!!!!!!! read more

My posting is about ticket payment OUTSOURCING. It appears Berkeley has turned over parking ticket collection to an unidentified private company which is now attempting collect "penalty/late"fees more than TWO YEARS AFTER THE PARKING TICKET WAS PAID. Please let other people know about this. They may not have the documentation we have. Even if they already paid -- and especially if they did. Here's the story: My son got a legitimate parking ticket on 9/22/07 (year 2007!) He mailed a check for $36.00 on 10/2/07 (on the cusp),and the check was cleared10/18/07. OVER ONE MONTH LATER, on 11/19/07, he received a "Final Notice" demanding $80 ($36 + $44 "penalty?") for non-payment.. The notice said "IF YOU HAVE PAID PLEASE DISREGARD this notice." Which he did. Question: Why did "they" (whoever they are) send out a "Final Notice" MORE THAN ONE MONTH AFTER THE PAYMENT CLEARED? Are they incompetent? Apparently. For that reason alone, does the City of Berkeley need to continue hiring this private company to handle their parking ticket collections? And should anyone be responsible for penalty/late fees to such an incompetent orgainization? Because I was mad at my son about apparently (so "they" claimed) not paying a ticket, he ordered a copy of the check from his bank confirming payment on 10/18/07 MORE THAN A MONTH BEFORE the so-called "Final Notice" claiming non-payment. Then, guess what,? I put all the papers in my file (not in the garbage) where they sat forgotten for two years & three months.. In Jan 2010 TWO YEARS & THREE MONTHS LATER, my son received a demand from a Collection Agency in New York for $104 for "late payment" with all associated personal threats to him. He submitted a complete response with documentation in Jan.2010. Today,3/22/10, he received a one-page form checked in a box, & signed at the bottom in childish handwriting, that says: "Our client's records show........you are responsible for the late fees incurred" and once again demanding $104. NO EVIDENCE from "client's record's" were enclosed. But, weirdly, the envelope was fat?. The New York collection agency did enclose the three-page copy of the check front & back & cover sheet from the bank dated 11/07 that had been mailed to them in January 2010. It wasn't a copy. There were staple marks at the top. Was this a crude attempt by the childish person who checkied &signed the document to deny they'd received it? I am new here & don't know how to receive feedback. I don't know it they will let me put my e-mail in: milijo1117@sbcglobal.net. Or you can call me at 510-547-3265 or my cell phone 510-459-9878, Miriam read more

I was parked outside of Subway on Bancroft and Telegraph. I was picking up my friend in a yellow zone and the California Vehicle Code therefore gives you less than 3 minutes for non-commercial loading. I got out to wave to my friend and open the door for her. She was a little bit down the street, so I walked down and called her name. It took less than 2 minutes, however I came back with a $57 ticket from Officer Boscoe. Officer Boscoe, I hope you have an excuse in court. This is not my first parking ticket in Berkeley, and the other one was just as unfair. I am very poor and I struggle enough as is to survive finnancially, so I really can't stand this garbage. OFFICER BOSCOE you are an asshole. read more

You would think people at the office would be nice. I went to the office to try and talk to them regarding my situation. The people there talk to you like you are the dumbest person on the planet. They are very confrontational. It's like they try to get a rise out of you so that it won't make them feel bad for collecting large amounts of money from you. I admit, I was in a commercial loading zone for maybe 30 seconds and sure, I was cited. I'm not arguing that. What I was contesting was the fact that it cost $144 because apparently I missed the notification letter that was sent to me. I swear, the people at the office wanted proof that I did not receive the letter. How the hell do I prove that??? Should I bring them a dotted outline of where the letter should be? Or should I take a picture of my empty mailbox? So they give me an ultimatum, write a letter to the supervisor or they can reduce my fine to $74. As I calmly and very politely describe my situation while at the same time trying to decide what to do, the person goes, "LOOK, I've already given you your options!" wtf... do they get paid on commission or something??? FUCK BERKELEY PARKING! read more

Got another ticket yesterday, in front of my own house again. Parking permits expired and I wasn't aware. They don't even send renewal forms. I guess they just expected me to remember that in June I am supposed to renew my permit. They increased the fines for tickets too, $41. They don't deserve the money. When you need to renew your cars registration they give you the renewal forms. Thanks Berkeley Parking for screwing me again. Seriously of all the places I lived Berkeley has had the most unreasonable unfair and inefficient parking department I have ever dealt with. How many of us get tickets all the time. This is a freaking conspiracy, we need to do something, protest. I don't even use my car that much and thats why I get parking tickets. Everytime I get parking tickets it's because I carpool. This is how BERKELEY repays people for trying to live greener lives. Save the Environment Get a Shiny Ticket. I'M SICK OF THIS. read more

My education at Berkeley would have been 100 times better had I not needed to float around in a state of constant fear of parking tickets. I try to start the meter as close to 10 minutes after the hour as I can just in case that class ends late. I'm almost never able to stay after and ask questions on material that I didn't understand. Thank god they at least extended the meters to a 2 hour limit. Sometimes when I have to stay on campus for large chunks of time I have to run back and forth moving the car to new spots and paying the meter only to get a 50 dollar ticket on my last move of the day because I missed the meter expiration by 2 minutes. One time they didn't even bother putting the ticket on my window and just mailed one to me a few weeks later. Cruel and unusual punishment. I've parked in front of broken meters with coins jammed in the slots and left notes for the meter maids explaining that there was no way for me to pay and that I was late for class. I came out and they had stuck a ticket blatantly RIGHT over my note. I hate the little interceptor cars that they drive. I've always wanted to do something to them like Don Cheatle does in Brooklyn's finest. Go watch that movie! read more

I've been a victim of Parking Enforcement oppression. At 3:58PM, I'm goin up Oxford, near the residential zone northwest of the campus, looking for a parking. I'm driving slowly, and there's people behind me, so I pull over to let them pass. Then one of those stupid looking parking enforcement vehicles comes and blocks my field of view, followed by a tow-truck. I pulled forward, so I could see, and I stop, to let the parking enforcer pass. I see a parking spot, so I dangerously pull back out into traffic, as the parking attendant had stopped again, obstructing my view, and I parked my car. She then follows me to the parking spot, and hands me a ticket stating that there was "no stopping" from 4PM to 6PM. The ticket simply states "Tow Away Zone 4 to 6 PM. Due now: $51. She was already having vehicles towed before the 4PM deadline, and the ticket states 4:06PM. It's obvious something drastic needs to happen soon, or more people are going to start taking their anger out on them. I even tried to speak to her, and she simply mocked me sarcastically and drove away. Technically, I didn't even stop, until she started trapping me. I'm taking this stupid little ticket down to the city hall, and I'm going to be filing a complaint against the ticketing officer, (Gray #810) and formally contesting the ticket. Of course, this gets me nowhere, because the city will still deny my appeals. It's likely I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. It's obvious that something needs to be done before we can all start driving safely, and without worry of being oppressed by these parking Nazis. In conclusion, parking enforcement has caused too much hate and discontent in Berkeley, and their oppressive tactics need to be stopped before they take more advantage of safe, law-abiding drivers. read more

They prey on the citizens, all they want is money. I live on a street in Berkeley where the parking police like to hangout, a group ranging from 2-4 of their golf carts all park next to each other (rather illegally) and take breaks whenever they feel like it. I have gone to class and returned and they are still sitting there doing nothing. I would be angrier at this but at least when they all sit on their exceptionally large butts they aren't giving tickets. There is so many of them however that they can still manage to ticket someone for being parked in front of their own house for 2 hours and 10 minutes. Overstaffed and full of evil-hearted buffoons, Berkeley Parking Enforcement takes the highly contested prize of worse government agency/group ever. Great Job! read more

Purchased a 2 hour parking pass for $5.50 allowing me to park until 11:41 am. Returned to my car at 11:36 to find a ticket. That's right, was ticketed before the parking I paid for had expired. The reason? Because the parking pass wasn't displayed on the passenger side dashboard (on the busy traffic side). Sure enough there is fine print that says it should be on the traffic side of the car (neither I nor my 18 year old son saw any indication of that when we parked), but in my case the ticket was clearly visible sitting out in the open and visible to the ticketing officer. How do I know? Because the car immediately behind me had the same ticket but located on the far inside portion for he dash, much less in the open, but no ticket. S/he clearly saw that. And yet behind that car there were a string of vehicles that had properly paid tickets (I checked) also on the drivers side that had been ticketed. So at least the traffic division is consistently inconsistent in their enforcement practices against paying patrons of the Berkeley small business community. This is a really sickening display of revenue collections gone mad. Try to do the right thing, indeed do the right thing, pay for the privilege to park, and get nicked for $43 for a gotcha violation that other law abiding citizens were also being fleeced out of. Should have saved the money on the pass since I was going to get ticketed anyways. And municipalities wonder why they get so little respect? Because they work hard to earn disrespect. The only silver lining is that I was able to warn a couple who had paid for their own ticket but was displaying it on the "wrong" side that it wasn't enough to buy the ticket and display it prominently. They were completely surprised but very grateful. Sorry Berkeley that's $43 you missed. read more

I can't get a parking permit in this city because I'm only here for a short term and permits aren't granted -- unless you lie.. I now have to run move my car every two hours, no matter what else is occurring to stay ahead of the parking cops who have now given me 4 citations right in front of my house. (They seem to be on the look out for my car). For such a liberal place, the parking cops are far more punishment minded than I was expecting. Any why $49? Seems especially greedy. read more

Daniel A must be out of town, becasue "officer" Boscoe got me today. ticket issued at 4:30pm. Meter expired at 4:26pm. I watched him pull away as I walked out of the store. There were four open spots between me an the next car - it wasn't like I was holding anyone up. How many times have I paid 4 minutes over. You should be able to get your meter refunded when you don't use all your time. They just need to modify the machines to give change back - or to clock out your ticket like a punch card. You let all of them add up like BART tickets and then go cash them in at the City of berkeley customer Service Center. Or even apply the balance of a previous meter to a new one. It may be pocket change, but its my pocket change. read more

Just got one of those restricted parking zone tickets (residential parking only, but they only have one sign for the entire block...easy to miss). It happens. What I'm really upset about is what happened when I went to pay the ticket online. Officer Randle must have put in the wrong address at first, but rather than fixing it, he/she just gave me a second ticket at the correct address. So now I have two citations to deal with! Kind of hard to be at two addresses (same street number, different streets across town from each other) within a couple minutes. Not only that, but at the other address, there isn't even restricted parking! You'd think it would be easy to have one of these tickets dismissed, but I guarantee it will be a huge headache before anyone listens. I despise parking departments. They seem to go out of their way to hire the most incompetent people imaginable (either that, or they're being directed to do sketchy things to bring in more revenue). read more

Run like the mafia. I received a ticket for an expired meter the problem was that I had a handicap placard at a time. I went met with them, filled an admin review form, called them about half a dozen times and left messages, none returned. Yesterday I received a notice that my fine is about to double. I will request an investigation, this is the 5th time this happened. Obviously some heavy duty rotten politics combined with lack of professionalism are doing great damage to the people that pay their salaries. read more

Got to my car just as the meter expired and at the same exact time as the golf cart. I got in my car and drove away and the ticket came in the mail today. He had just pulled up. Had not started to write the ticket and saw we got there in time. He must have gotten my lic plate as I drove away. What a jerk. Will not go back to shop in Berkeley. $43 - you have got to be kidding. read more

I was harassed by staff and called "stupid white boy" after politely asking why they were giving me a ticket less than 15 seconds after I had pulled into the parking lot, while standing by the machine trying to purchase a parking permit. read more

Yeah - the same Boscoe that has been mentioned here is a real prick- he ticketed me on San Pablo yesterday. I had parked my motorcycle (which does not take up a car space, BTW, if you park perpendicular), and which I understand, you must pay for the meter for anyway, right where i could see it from the cafe i was sitting in. As soon as he rolled up i rushed out to mive the bike- but no, he was already busy punching in my license #. What a f-head. This person must really hate his job- spreading ill will where ever he goes. I'm all about less- cars in general, but this system makes Berkeley very unfriendly for people who want to spend money here. read more

Received a ticket for cvc 5200 Missing license plate. Though note on ticket said plate was in front and rear windows. After looking up cvc 5200 I found it to say that plates need to be attached in the front and rear. NO mention that it has to be screwed, bolted, glued, taped, or anything else to the plastic, metal, vinyl, wood, or any other material bumper. In cvc 5200, in later codes it does but the other codes I was not cited for. So I submitted an administrative review and Berkeley sent the ticket back saying "pay the fine or submit an administrative review". This was after the officer wanted to debate the citation with me instead of giving the supervisors phone number. People don't enjoy getting citations what makes a reasonable person think they should debate the ticket? If the officer believed the ticket to be just, give the stupidvisors number. Office Smith #822 did not need to question what I was going to discuss w/ the supervisor. Enforcement officers have a greater responsibility for their own safety, don't start trouble or debate tickets. The citation is being dismissed because Berkeley Police see the mistake was clearly theirs. Don't cite someone for one thing and say it is because of something else. Noel P. has not been very helpful as he attempted to deceive me and then neglected to call me back. Then thought it appropriate to scold me and recite other vehicle codes. Internal affairs and the media, and whoever else will now be made aware of the parking enforcements actions. All for a $10 fix it ticket, was it worth it? Berkeley Parking enforcement, you owe me...... a star on yelp since no stars isnt an option for a review. read more

I am tried of getting tickets on my car when i have a disable plate in my window. Maybe if you buy the meter maids some glasses they would be able to see it. They did this 4 times last year and i'm not going to put up with this any more. SO STOP IT!!!!!!!! read more

We had time on our meter yet got a parking ticket for a missing month tag. We had a tag through 2015 and got the ticket in 2014. DMV had never issued a month tag for out truck four years earlier. Really Ms. / Mr. Parking violation officer? I was born and raised in Berkeley. I shop and dine here more than I do in the town I live in. Way to encourage us to spend our money in another city. read more

I just got a ticket for not being close enough to the curb in the type of parking spot where you pull in diagonally. The law states that you must be less than six inches from the curb. I was 8. That is $25.50 per inch that I did not pull in more. And $51 pointless dollars that I simply don't have. My rage with this useless ticket is overwhelming. Ever since I started commuting to Berkeley from San Francisco, I have been hassled with tickets for the most insane reason. No matter how careful you are, there is no protection. They just want to collect money, and it is essentially for no reason at all! I will happily join any political movement directed towards changing the methods of this parking enforcement agency because it is HIGHLY unethical to treat tax-paying, law-abiding citizens in this manner. read more

I parked my car in a 2-hour zone at 3:30pm. I received a $43 ticket from Officer Fort for violating the 2-hour zone at 4:45pm--yes 1:15 after I parked. The ticket said that my car was marked at 1:30pm. Total bull! I had been previously parked on a different block, so it is not as if I only moved my car to an adjacent spot. It may be possible that some residual chalk was on the side of my tire, but I drove around for several blocks looking for the latter spot, so I very much doubt any chalk remained on the surface of my tires. Do I have any proof that I parked there at 3:30pm and not 1:30pm? Of course not. This is the second time I have been cited for a 2-hour parking citation when I did not deserve it. I'm going to fight it, but I doubt I will win the appeal (they rejected my first appeal without explanation). Feeling disgusted right now, and had to vent. read more

Lesson learned: put double the amount you think you need in the meter or avoid street parking in Berkeley. Shopping should not include an extra $43 fee because you asked the shoe store for an additional service. read more

I've received a good number of parking citations in Berkeley through the 6 years I have been in and around Berkeley, and all of them have been due to some (usually sneaky) restriction I've failed to observe..... until today. Having learned all of the subtleties of the parking restrictions on the south side of campus through my previous citations, I am now very careful to follow them by moving my car every 2 hours between appropriate spots. I made sure to do so this morning, but nonetheless found myself with a ticket from OFFICER BLACKMON. Why? Because this officer claimed that my car had been in the spot since 9:30am, while I did not actually park my car there until just after 10:30! My car was on a different street at 9:30!! I've long been aware that BPE officers will do anything and everything within the rules to give as many tickets as possible, but I didn't know that some of them blatantly lie to fill their quota! Of course, I have no concrete evidence for any of this, although it is possible that a nearby security camera may have seen my car in the spot it actually was in at 9:30. Nonetheless, I am appealing the citation, although (based on reviews below) I'm not expecting to win. I also want to note a couple of ridiculous restrictions in an area where I commonly park, which is the stretch of Dwight Way between College Ave and Warring. For those relatively new to parking in Berkeley, let these serve as examples of things to watch out for everywhere: (1) The two sides of the street lie in different parking permit zones (I and D). The issue here is that it is consequently OK to park all day Saturday on one side of the street, while you can only park for 2 hours on Saturdays on the other side. This is ruthlessly enforced. (2) The "street cleaning" scam is in full effect in this area. The exact time and day of the posted street cleaning varies throughout the blocks in this area, generally between the 3rd of 4th Thursday or Friday of the month. Some streets around there don't have it at all, even ones that intersect streets that have such restrictions. For one ridiculous example, on the stretch of Dwight I mentioned, Etna St intersects Dwight in a tiny (maybe 40 ft long?) stretch of Etna that is blocked of from the rest of the street by cement pillars. While there is no set street cleaning time on that part of Dwight, there IS one on that tiny stretch of Etna, where there is space designated for 2 cars to park at a time. So, the city of Berkeley would have us believe that they send a street cleaner up Dwight, without having it clean Dwight, just to have it scrub this 40 ft stretch of Etna!! This is a genuine scam if I have ever seen one. read more

I was with my friend who has a slight developmental disability. We were parked less than 5 minutes on San Pablo a block from university when I walked up to the car as OFFICER SMITH was writing a ticket. I politely told her that my friend and I were just about to fill the meter because we had to run into the store to get change to put into the meter! My friend had gotten back from the store directly in front of the parked car right before me (before the ticket was written) and was about to enter the car when OFFICER SMITH asked her if she was the driver. My friend said no and sat on a bench in front of the store because her developmental state is inhibited and OFFICER SMITH alarmed her. When I told OFFICER SMITH all about this, she told me I was being mentally abusive towards my friend and then asked me if I was the driver and said it was MY responsibility to put money in the car. OFFICER SMITH also said I would still get a ticket even if me of my friend were sitting in the car and the meter was expired. Then she smirked and said "all it would've taken was 35 cents". Overpaid, inconsiderate pricks, these parking enforcement "officials". I wish I had the time and resources to take this to court. Violator of civil rights and emotional harasser, OFFICE SMITH. Your life probably sucks anyway, because you only wake up to watch people furtively and administer parking tickets. Grow some brains and get a real job instead of trying to screw up their mojo, you useful idiot. It's not even the ticket that bugs me, its your cheapened sense of morality, state of idiocracy to greedy city revenue and repeated 5 minutes of tactless ego twirling. OFFICER TOOL SMITH, I am sorry for you. read more

actually 0 stars for this agency. a bunch of spongers. just today i got a ticket my third ticket for this month alone. this last one i was actually in my car parked infront of Peets in north shattuck. this low life gave me a ticket while i was about to leave and i was in my car saying i was putting an address into my GPS. and he said go do that while i write a ticket. wtf? i think that's safer than putting it in while you are driving and in in the interest of public safety this guy just ignored my explanation and thought his explantation for giving me a ticket is better "oh alot of people are waiting for there coffee" whaaaat???? unbelievable. are you guys really running out of money? or just darn evil. is your life really #$#@$ that you have to do this to another person?i hope your kids and family are proud of you.yeah like some people here i do believe in karma.the city bureaucracy is getting way too bloated. from now on i'm staying away from berkeley stores and businesses. that's my own civil protest. there's always oakland and emeryville. read more

This is my first review on yelp, and it will almost certainly be my last. For the most part, I'm not allured by the prospect of frittering away my time writing reviews so that other people can make informed decisions. However, after living in Berkeley with a car for two years and accumulating hundreds of dollars in parking citations, the opportunity to inveigh against Berkeley's parking enforcement is too much to resist. This review is primarily addressed as a response to Tina T.'s breathtakingly idiotic review. Her review showcases, at best, only the dimmest traces of frontal lobe activity. While her review is written with the conviction of experience, at no point does she actually furnish the reader with any evidence of having had experience with Berkeley's parking enforcement, but instead insists upon lecturing us University students about the "way it is" without bothering herself with insignificant details, like the glaring discrepancy between the exorbitant fines ($49) and a justifiable punishment ($0). In the first place, T.T.s review uncritically attacks the university student population, failing to recognize that the University is practically the only reason Berkeley exists at all. She resents an imagined sense of entitlement, advocating instead that the city should operate totally ignorant of the massive student population. To those who have actually experienced the draconian parking codes in Berkeley, going by the overwhelmingly negative reviews on yelp, it is clear that this is no more than government sponsored extortion. Her argument, though hardly deserving of the designation, is that Berkeley's economy will suffer if traffic flow slows down. This point is a red herring; the city's economy would be more drastically impacted by the loss of revenue from parking violations. Why should parking in Berkeley be unduly complicated? As a resident, I shouldn't have to deal with such an inordinate hassel to do something as basic as driving to the store. read more

Am I allowed to give negative stars? DMV sent registration and stickers late. Went into parking office w/ screaming newborn and toddler to resolve issue. Was sent home by parking office w/ a form to mail in. Mailed form in w/ proof that my car was registered and postmarked envelope from DMV proving they were late sending tags. Berkeley denies my claim. Send in another form to contest ticket. Claim is denied once again and ticket is raised to $100+ since it's now past due. Call and ask how this can be resolved, and how we can avoid this problem next year when we register our car. Berkeley employee must have not have a functioning brain, since she is unable to answer seemingly basic questions (if you were to be inside her head for a minute there would be only the sound of out of tune crickets). We cave, mail in payment. Six months later, registration renewal notice from DMV arrives. "you owe city of Berkeley $". Find out that they never cashed our check and sent us to a creditor. My question is: if they were able to let the DMV know that we "owe" them money, why couldn't they have communicated w/ the DMV in the first place? Couldn't they save everyone's time and money by doing a quick check to see if the car is currently registered upon issuing the ticket? Oh wait, I forgot about their non-functioning brains. So... My husband calls several times trying resolve the issue and is told: "sorry sir we can't help you" "Todd will call you back" "Sorry sir, it's completely out of our hands." So who's hands is it in? Cause I'm pretty sure you're the party forcing me to pay for an undeserved ticket. As w/ most city gov't departments; Berkeley Parking Enforcement is a complete and utter scam! read more

I lost my front plate and made an appt. at DMV but got a ticket while waiting. I called and was told there was another ticket a week earlier as well. So I went to DMV without appt. and had both tickets signed off on and sent two checks for $10. and the ticket for one and the notice for the other. Both checks had the citation number. Neither check was cashed and when I called I was told I had requested an administrative review of one ticket (WHICH I HAD NOT) and the other had not been paid as yet. On 12/29/10 I got a decision "Liable" in the mail. The other ticket goes to $55. if not paid by today. Neither check was ever deposited although they got my envelope otherwise one would not have been changed to $10. So, tonight I went on line and paid $37. and I'm sure they will cash both checks I sent them someday as well. Employees at Berk Parking Enforcement were surprisingly courteous but couldn't help with a system so obviously out of control The time limits on paying "fix it" tickets make no sense. Whoever gets the paperwork and checks in Tracy is not competent . read more

no one can ever seem to help me here. i paid for my residence pass but still manage to rack up tickets for parking in any kind of zone. if i live here can i park my car, like at all? 1 hour, 2 hour, it doesn't matter when these people want money from you they come after you because your guilty until proven so. even when i go through the systems of rebutting the ticket im still expected to pay for my innocence. I do everything they tell me to do but still I get more red letters in the mail until before I know it I've got $500 worth in tickets? And I've only lived here 5 months with my car staying only a couple of nights. The people at the Parking Enforcement just end up shaking their heads at me, and the automated system is made to just get money out of me. "You can fill out this claim" but we all already know thats just to quiet me in the moment and turn me away. I'm always told of some faceless someone looking at my claim that just ends up being denied. The people here are just cashiers at the end of the day, if you have the money to pay your ticket come through they are quick and you can leave with your peace of mind. Come for ANYTHING else thats help, a number to be directed to help, any kind of anything that doesn't involve you giving up money, well fuck you. In the ear, they don't care. So now I don't bring my car in Berkeley any more, and I can't speak to any human about my $500 fines unless I go way out of my way to go to court and defend myself, which I have to PAY for. They expect I just have days and days free for just this kind of BS instead of working a productive job(s) and keeping an over priced roof over my head... I pay the tickets for street sweeping or if I know I just goofed up within the week but the ones I fight against they just pile up and sit there expecting to get paid. So nothing gets paid, I just shrug like how the people do me in that office. Who do i talk with about this? Where can i actually park my car with peace of mind? What zones can I safely park in overnight? Why did I pay for a residence pass when it doesn't do squat to protect my car? Why am I here writing a angry review which does NOTHING but maybe make me feel a little better for 5 minuts instead of JUST TALKING WITH SOMEONE AND CLEARING THIS? But I dunno who, or where, or even how without paying out of pocket, so here I am. Why is Berkeley so hard up to keep it's fingers in my wallet? Why can't I just speak to a human who knows how to help me? If anything I demand my money back for the residence pass, its just an over glorified sparkly bumper sticker thats most likely going to ruin the paint. As a responsible adult I've tried, over and over I've tried. Now the parking enforcement can take their residence pass and all $500 worth of these tickets and stick them where the sun don't shine. I don't want it any more, you win Berkeley, my car is all the way in HAYWARD now far from here and your BS. I'm out of sugar or need to make a run now Its this big deal of going alllllllll the way to the other side of the bay to pick up my car from my folks home god forbid i have an emergency because i sure can't afford an ambulance. I live here, pay my taxes but am forced to take public transportation because I can't park where I live because Berkeley wants everything. if they could harvest my organs they'd have them too, I'm sure. So I just feel great about choosing Berkeley to start my life and go to school out here. read more