To the editor:

I parked the car, paid the meter, took the children to the library. I came out to find a $40 ticket on my windshield. “Improper stall parking,” it said. I look at the lines. Was I over the lines? No. Then I noticed the back of my car was hanging over the sidewalk. At first it was upsetting, then I had to laugh. Was this in the driver’s license handbook? Later I learned the ticket was because I had backed into the parking stall. It is a city ordinance. Who knows that?

Also, I was told by another “parkee” at the library that if you do not pay your meter immediately — in other words, if you take time to get your child out of the car first — you are in violation of paying the meter. Times have certainly changed. One plus though: The lady doing the story time was well worth the $40.

Fran Johnson,
Lawrence