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Regarding the June 15 letter, "Parking system too complicated":

We, too, had a similar experience. The Thursday prior to Memorial Day, my wife and I went to a wonderful Italian restaurant in downtown Cape May and parked on a side street just off the square.

This was our first experience with the parking system, and upon pulling into the space we saw a parking meter pole with no parking meter on it. A nearby sign said there was a three-hour maximum for parking and words to the effect that we had to locate a parking device. Seeing none on the pole, and having been told that the season had not started yet, we rushed to our reservation and spent a lovely 60 minutes and $90 having an exceptional meal.

When we returned, we found a $32 parking ticket on the windshield.

Instead of sending in the fine, I chose to return on what appeared to be the court-appearance date. When I returned at the date and time written on the ticket, I was informed that if a micro-sized square wasn't checked on the ticket, it meant that date was the time by which the ticket had to be paid. If I was to have a court appearance, I had to give seven days written notice. I was very cordial and asked why this was so complicated and was informed that "it is just the way it is." Frustrated, I paid the $32.

We have spent many dollars at shops and restaurants in Cape May over the past several years. I have to assume the merchants don't mind having their customers treated the way we, and I'm sure many others, have been treated. Perhaps the mayor and council feel this is "the way it is" to get much-needed funds to run their municipality.

I don't like being treated like a second-class citizen when without people like us spending money with the local merchants, there would be less money in their coffers. That is the last $122 we will ever spend in Cape May.

BURREL WHITLEY SR.

Galloway Township

2 comments:

• THATSINSANE (119) posts 10:40 pm

  Welcome to NJ. Try going to the beach in Longport where the elitists have paid off the elected officials to forbid ANY parking on the streets nearest to the beaches in front of the rich spoiled brats' homes. It's their way of keeping the beaches "PRIVATE" and to keep you "commoners" OUT!

• Joe--- (101) posts 7:35 am

  Mr. Whitley: What you fail to understand is that the largest business in town, the city government, could care less about how the smaller businesses are effected by their greed. If you think that's bad, you should read the report of dollars taken in from beach tag sales at the end of the season, which is proudly reported in the local papers. Unfortunately, you will not return, but someone else will come (and probably receive a parking ticket) to take your place.

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