Nathan Hanson

Review of Seattle Department of Transpor...

I was given a $47 parking ticket for parking in an...

I was given a $47 parking ticket for parking in an "unmarked crosswalk." Apparently, any T intersection is considered a legal crosswalk, and the city of Seattle has decided not to put up any signs or even paint the curbs to let people know. This is ridiculous. I live right next to the location where I was cited, and I guarantee you people are unknowingly parking illegally in this spot every day. $47 might not be a lot of money for a tech executive, but for someone like me who is working two jobs and taking classes while struggling to afford rent in this city, $47 is a lot. If I had in fact done something wrong, I would pay the penalty without complaining. However, I didn't do anything wrong and the city of Seattle is robbing me of my hard-earned money. And it will continue to do this to people who are justifiably unaware of the existence of invisible crosswalks. Given how easy it is to paint a curb or put up a sign, I can only conclude that these completely unreasonable citations are being given for moneymaking purposes. Not cool. Not cool at all.