Shouldn’t Parking Fines Have a Cap?

Now, I know that parking tickets/fines are important parts of how we make sure that people behave orderly with their cars. I know this. How do we stop people from just parking their cars wherever they want and causing havoc? Parking tickets/fines. I understand this. However, there have to be limits. $100,000 in parking fines for a single car seems a bit excessive.

Seriously, take a look at this article. Jennifer Fitzgerald’s ex apparently left her car at O’Hare. Parking fines accrued…for three years. Fitzgerald, who did not even park the car there, a car only worth about $600, is suing to try to get out of $105,000 in parking fines.

Seriously? $105,000?! Shouldn’t they just have impounded and sold the car at some point? Perhaps, say, after the first month or so? Three years?! They honestly left his car sitting there racking up fines for three years?! They seriously let $105,000 in parking fines accumulate without doing anything?! Did they even tell her? (Was it reported stolen?)

This just seems ridiculous. Issue parking tickets and fines, fine. I’m good with that. However, perhaps something else should be done before three years elapses and $105,000 accumulates. Something like towing and selling the car.

Frankly, I think the court ought to make Jennifer Fitzgerald pay a reasonable fine (presuming that she hadn’t reported the car stolen, in which case she shouldn’t have to pay anything and the city should be held responsible for not telling her they found her car) and tell Chicago to not be so stupid again. $105,000 for a car they let sit illegally parked for three years is just ridiculous.