Police a little harsh with parking tickets

I am upset because I have received two parking tickets in the past 45 days for which I was 5 minutes over the 3-hour parking limit in the Vail Street Garage.

Although I admit that I was a few minutes over the posted limit, I do not think the intention of those limits is to penalize citizens for an extra 5 minutes. Aren't we the "City of Good Neighbors"? Aren't we being encouraged to utilize the downtown business district as often as possible?

Does the AH police department feel that the officers' best use of time is hunting down all of the cars that have parked in a space for 5-10 minutes over the limit and issuing tickets?

I understand issuing a ticket for a vehicle that has committed a parking violation of hours past the posted limit, but 5-10 minutes? I wonder how much revenue is generated by all of these parking tickets. I am sure that I am not the only person frustrated by this practice. 

Since I have requested court dates for these tickets, I will wait to see if I end up paying the fines. However, I believe there are many more of you out there that do not have the time to attend the court dates and, therefore, pay the fine regardless of whether you believe it is justified. If any of you are out there, let me know - we deserve a little bit more courtesy for our tax dollars.

Patricia Baxendale

Arlington Heights